This stitch is worked with the needle going from the outside edge towards the inside. Insert the needle into the fabric and bring it out four fabric threads up, but do not pull the needle through (A). Moving counter clockwise, loop the thread under the eye of the needle and around under the point of the needle (B) and then pull it through. Pull the needle up and towards the edge to lock the stitch in place before proceeding to the next stitch. There are 5 stitches total in the rounded corner. The first stitch to form the corner is the vertical straight stitch. The second stitch is inserting the needle two fabric threads to the right of the last stitch but bring the point of the needle up in the same inside corner hole. The third corner stitch is diagonal from the corner and starts one thread over and one thread in from the 2nd stitch (C). The fourth stitch is two fabric threads down from the fifth straight horizontal stitch. The fifth stitch is horizontal, four fabric threads to the right of the corner (D).
Starting a New Thread – It is best to start a new thread when you start a new buttonhole set. A “set” is one scalloped set of stitches; 5 straight stitches, plus 3 angled corner stitches, plus the next 5 straight stitches. Photo E show a corner set. On the last stitch before changing thread, insert the needle into the fabric and bring it out in the back of the fabric and remove it from the needle. Leave a thread loop on top of the fabric (E). Insert a new thread into the needle and run it beneath several stitches on the back of the piece before bringing the needle out at the base of the next set of buttonhole stitches (F). Pull the needle through and insert it through the loop of the old thread from front to back (G). Tighten the old thread on the back and hold it in place while you stitch the next several threads over the old thread to keep it in place. Continue the tailored buttonhole border (H). The last stitch will share the same fabric hole as the top of the first stitch where it began. To end, insert the needle from outside to inside through the top loop of the first stitch and down beneath the first stitch to the back. Snip the thread end off after it has slid under two buttonhole sets on the back.
