Asola Lucida, Boutonniere Milanaise, Buttonholes, milanese

Asola lucida- some instructions

Posted on R. Jeffery DiduchAuthor R. Jeffery Diduch

For Mike, who says he still doesn’t get it.

I hope this helps.

(Sorry that the illustrations are rotated from the photos, but maybe this will actually help)

1.
Cut through the cloth, overcast, and lay a length of gimp. Do not wax the silk twist. Unlike regular buttonholes which start from the top, the twist must be anchored on the bottom of the hole (on the wrong side).

Feed the needle through the slit, then underneath the gimp.

Print

asola2

2.
Wrapping around the gimp, insert the needle underneath the gimp, about 1/16″ away from the slit edge.

Print

asola3

3. Pull tight.

Print

asola5

4. Repeat by feeding the needle up through the slit. When taking the next stitch, insert the needle exactly next to the previous stitch, and do not leave any space between the two. You may need to nudge the stitch with your thumb to pack them in tight.

Print

asola4

asola6

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14 Replies to “Asola lucida- some instructions”

  5. Hello,

    I know this is a bit off topic, but from reading some of your old post, I learned that it takes a tremendous amount of time to apply facings by hand. But I don't quite understand the advantages in doing that, could you help me by explaining the difference?

    Best,
    Ian

  6. Benjamin- I've been busy with my move lately so no buttonholes in a while.

    SP- thank you.

    Ian- facings are not applied dry- there is fullness worked into certain parts of it to allow the lapel to roll and sit flat. When you machine the facing, you baste it into place inside out, and you have to have a very good sense of exactly how much fullness needs to go where. Doing it by hand, you work on the right side and you can check the fullness as you go to make sure everything is proper.

  7. Hey Jeffery,

    I know this is a bit off topic but can you explain in a few sentences the difference between facings doing by hand vs. machine?

    thanks,
    Tom

  9. Hey Jeff,

    Would you know anymore information about CAP Tailleur Homme in Paris? Can't seem to find it on the web, and It keeps failing when I try to email you my email. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Awesome blog by the way.

    Thanks,
    Mike

  10. Fabulous! I love hand made buttonholes. It is not so difficult and time consuming as many would thought. This is a great tutorial.

  11. At last, after working on the ordinary keyhole buttonhole, I returned to this explanation….and I got it. Thank you so much Jeffery. My family are amused by my obsession with learning about handworked buttonholes..Couldn't have done it without your help

  12. Bonjour,

    Concernant les boutonnière à la main, vous utilisez un fil gris qui sert de support à l'enroulage du fil de soie par la suite (gimp). Comment s'appelle ce fil gris ? Est-ce un fil de soie très épais ou bien un cordon rigide ?

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