These machines come with a buttonhole foot like this one:



You set your button in a slot in the foot and the machine sews all the stitches (bottom, top, sides) automatically as the foot moves along. It will usually stitch the bottom side then moves up one side until it senses the button's size and then it continues to stitch the top before moving down the final side to close the buttonhole off. Some fancier machines have fine computer sensors in their buttonhole foot, but most are just a piece of plastic or metal and function mechanically.

You don't have as much control getting an automatic buttonhole made, but it usually is easier. I have machines that have "one step" automated buttonholes, and I have another machine that has a 6-step mechanical buttonhole. Honestly I prefer the 6-step machine but I just enjoy the process of choosing when to do each step with a dial but this also means I have to measure my button size and make appropriate guides instead of just plopping in the button into the foot.

i think i posted this on another thread, but i'm too lazy to search, so:



i stenciled it with an airbrush food colory thing my mom has at her bakery. it got a little smeared, but, eh. the "tots" are hull-less caramel corn.

that moog cake is sweet. (ha! bad pun! w00t!)

OMG, my husband will freak over this cake!! His birthday is coming up at the end of July and I wonder if I can pull this off without having to use a spray gun system to make the stencil? Any ideas??? I've taken cake decorating classes before, but these are flowery type cakes, nothing like making a novelty cake like this.... I need all the ideas you can offer! And what are hull less caramel corn? Like caramel pop corn?

I'm making one of those candy cakes like this one:



If I use a hot glue gun to glue the chocolate bars on the stand, there shouldn't be any problems with the wrapper melting/getting damaged, right....? I mean, the glue gets hot, but I don't think I should have worries about ruining the chocolate bar itself though. Has anyone made one of these before? I'm actually making one in the shape of a catamaran, but the concept is the same.