I got sick of my clip-on suspenders never staying where they’re supposed to, so I had a go at modifying them for button attachments. (They’re a $3 pair from the op shop so I wasn’t too worried about wrecking them.) The clips came off a lot easier than I expected, and bending the wire wasn’t too much drama.

The end of a pair of clip-on, rainbow elastic suspenders. The clip has been removed, leaving the wire that attached it to the elastic. End ID. The end of a pair of clip-on, rainbow elastic suspenders. The wire that attached it to the elastic has been bent so that the ends that were holding the clip in place overlap each other. End ID.

After that I folded the edges in on some black cotton I had lying around, threaded it through the wire, and whip stitched all the edges closed. I also took the opportunity to practice my hand-sewn buttonholes. As you can see, I really need the practice. I did change to a #20 perle cotton instead of the #40 I did the first one with, but most of the improvement is repetition.

The ends of two suspender straps sit side by side on a wooden table. They have had tabs of black cloth sewn onto the ends. There is a hand-sewn buttonhole done in thick cream thread on each cloth tab. End ID. Left is the first buttonhole I did, right is the fourth.

I’ve been sewing the suspender buttons to the inside of my waistbands, and I’m pleased to note that you can barely see the buttonhole tabs when they’re buttoned in place. Of course, now I’m lowkey planning a pair (or three) that are completely hand-made, from handwoven inkle bands….