Fabric cutter 24

Upholstery Button Fabric Cutter for Covered Button Making

This upholstery button fabric cutter is made for accurately cutting covering material when producing fabric-covered furniture buttons.

Available in sizes 24, 28, 30, 36 and 44, it provides upholsterers and furniture manufacturers with a quick, repeatable way of preparing consistently sized fabric pieces before the button is formed in the appropriate die.

The cutter can be used with most suitable fabric presses or manually with a cutting block and mallet, making it a useful addition to both professional upholstery workshops and smaller button-making setups.

Product Specification

• Product type: Upholstery button fabric cutter
• Available sizes: 24, 28, 30, 36 and 44
• Application: Cutting fabric for covered upholstery buttons
• Suitable for: Upholstery fabric
• Operation: With a compatible fabric press or manually
• Manual use requires: Cutting block and suitable mallet
• Suitable for: Furniture upholstery, headboards, deep buttoning and restoration

What Is an Upholstery Button Fabric Cutter?

A button fabric cutter is a shaped cutting tool used to prepare the covering material for fabric-covered upholstery buttons.

Instead of cutting each fabric piece individually with scissors, the cutter produces consistently sized pieces that can then be positioned over the button shell and formed in a button die.

This helps create a more repeatable button-making process, particularly where a job requires several matching buttons.

Typical applications include:

• Headboard buttons
• Sofa buttons
• Chair buttons
• Footstool buttons
• Ottoman buttons
• Upholstered bed panels
• Decorative wall panels
• Deep-buttoned furniture
• Furniture restoration
• Replacement covered buttons

Why Use a Fabric Cutter for Upholstery Buttons?

The amount of material surrounding a button shell has a direct effect on how easily the button forms.

If the covering piece is too small, there may not be enough fabric to wrap securely around the shell.

If it is unnecessarily large, excess material can gather inside the button and make the finished button more difficult to form.

Using a correctly selected upholstery button cutter helps provide:

• Consistent fabric size
• Faster preparation
• Cleaner button assembly
• Less variation between buttons
• Reduced manual cutting
• More repeatable production
• Better use of covering material

This becomes particularly useful on headboards and deep-buttoned furniture where many identical buttons may be required.

Available Fabric Cutter Sizes

The Fabric Cutter is available in:

• Size 24
• Size 28
• Size 30
• Size 36
• Size 44

Choose the cutter size according to the button-making system and components being used.

The cutter size required is determined by the button shell, die and covering material, so always check the complete setup before starting production.

Fabric Cutter for Size 24 Upholstery Buttons

Size 24 is commonly used for smaller covered upholstery buttons where a compact decorative detail is required.

A consistent fabric blank makes it easier to form repeated small buttons without excessive material gathering behind the shell.

Fabric Cutter for Size 28 Button Work

The size 28 cutter provides an additional intermediate option within the range.

It is useful where the specific button-making system requires a size 28 fabric blank.

Always check compatibility with the die and button components being used.

Fabric Cutter for Size 30 Upholstery Buttons

Size 30 is a popular general-purpose upholstery button format.

It is commonly suitable for work such as:

• Headboards
• Chair backs
• Sofa backs
• Decorative furniture panels
• Furniture restoration

Accurately cutting each covering piece helps maintain consistency across larger button layouts.

Fabric Cutter for Size 36 Upholstery Buttons

Size 36 creates a larger covering piece for more prominent upholstery buttons.

This size is useful for:

• Deep-buttoned headboards
• Larger sofa buttons
• Upholstered bed panels
• Feature furniture
• Decorative deep buttoning

Fabric Cutter for Size 44 Upholstery Buttons

Size 44 is the largest cutter in this range.

It is intended for larger covered upholstery buttons where the button forms a decorative feature within the finished furniture.

Using the Fabric Cutter with a Press

The cutter is compatible with most suitable fabric presses.

For a professional workshop setup, it can form part of the cutting process used before producing the finished button.

A typical workflow is:

Fabric Cutter cut button-cover material Button Die Button Shell & Back finished covered button

Using a press helps apply controlled pressure across the cutting edge and is particularly useful when producing larger batches of button covers.

Fabric Cutter with the D-3 Press

The D-3 Fabric & Button Press is made for both fabric cutting and covered-button production.

This makes the D-3 particularly useful where both stages of the process are carried out regularly.

The workflow can be organised around one workshop press:

Cut fabric prepare button components form covered button

For businesses producing headboards, furniture or repeated batches of covered buttons, this can create a quicker and more consistent production process.

Manual Fabric Cutting with a Mallet

A fabric press is not essential for using this cutter.

The cutter can also be operated manually using a suitable cutting block and mallet.

Place the fabric on the cutting surface, position the cutter carefully and apply controlled impact with the mallet.

This provides a practical option for:

• Smaller upholstery workshops
• Occasional button making
• Furniture restoration
• Replacement button production
• Mobile upholstery work
• Workshops without a dedicated cutting press

Always use an appropriate cutting surface beneath the material.

Use with a Teflon Cutting Block

A Teflon Cutting Block provides a suitable sacrificial surface beneath the cutter.

Using a proper cutting block helps:

• Protect the workbench
• Support the fabric during cutting
• Reduce unnecessary damage to the cutter edge
• Produce cleaner cuts
• Provide a consistent working surface

A worn or unsuitable cutting surface can reduce cutting efficiency and may damage the cutter.

Cutting Fabric for Covered Upholstery Buttons

Before cutting, make sure the upholstery fabric lies flat.

Avoid folds or creases within the area being cut.

For repeat production:

1. Lay the material flat on the cutting surface.
2. Position the cutter carefully.
3. Apply even pressure with the press or controlled blows with a mallet.
4. Check that the material has been cut completely.
5. Remove the fabric piece carefully.
6. Inspect the edge before using it in the button die.

Testing the process on an offcut before starting a complete production run can help prevent wasted fabric.

Making Covered Buttons After Cutting

Once the fabric has been cut, it can be used with the appropriate button-making equipment.

For standard upholstery fabric, use a matching Button Die.

A typical covered-button setup includes:

Cut fabric Aluminium Button Shell Button Back Button Die Button Press

The correctly cut fabric is placed over the shell and formed around it inside the die.

Use with Aluminium Button Shells

Aluminium Button Shells form the visible face of a fabric-covered upholstery button.

The covering material cut with the fabric cutter is formed over the aluminium shell during pressing.

Matching the fabric preparation, shell and die helps create:

• Consistent button diameter
• Cleaner fabric coverage
• Better edge formation
• More repeatable finished buttons
• Reduced material waste

Choosing the Correct Button Back

After the fabric has been cut and positioned over the shell, the appropriate button back is added.

Available fixing systems include:

Wire Backs

Button Wire Backs provide a wire fixing point suitable for upholstery twine and traditional deep-buttoning work.

Prong Backs

Button Prong Backs provide long mechanical prongs for suitable through-upholstery fixing.

Hook Backs

Hook Backs allow a covered button to engage with a prepared upholstery twine loop.

Tape Backs

Tape Backs accept long and short button tapes for through-buttoning cushions, caravan seating and bedding.

The correct back depends on how the finished button will be fitted to the furniture.

Fabric Cutter for Headboard Button Production

Headboards can require a significant number of identical fabric-covered buttons.

A button fabric cutter helps prepare repeated fabric pieces for:

• Diamond-buttoned headboards
• Square button patterns
• Upholstered bedheads
• Bed panels
• Feature wall panels
• Decorative furniture panels

Using the same cutter and preparation method throughout the project helps ensure the finished buttons look consistent.

Fabric Cutter for Deep-Buttoned Furniture

Deep-buttoned furniture often uses repeated buttons across a large upholstered area.

Applications include:

• Sofa backs
• Armchairs
• Chesterfield-style furniture
• Footstools
• Ottomans
• Headboards
• Upholstered wall panels

Consistently cut fabric pieces help create a more uniform finished button before the buttons are installed into the furniture.

Standard Fabric Cutter or Leather Cutter?

This Fabric Cutter is intended for upholstery fabric.

For leather and heavier materials, use the dedicated Leather Cutter.

Leather, vinyl and heavy coverings can behave differently during cutting because of their increased thickness and density.

Choose the cutter according to the covering material rather than trying to force unsuitable material through a cutter intended for lighter fabric.

Fabric Cutter or Osborne Fabric Cutter?

For workshops using Osborne buttoning equipment, There is also the Osborne Fabric Cutter.

The standard Fabric Cutter provides a cost-effective option for general upholstery button production and is compatible with most suitable fabric presses.

The Osborne cutter is better suited where the workshop already uses the corresponding Osborne button-making system.

Fabric Cutter or Osborne 2-Piece Die Set with Cutter?

The Osborne 2-Piece Die Set with Cutter combines the cutting and button-forming tooling within the Osborne system.

Choose the standard Fabric Cutter where individual cutting tooling is required.

Choose the Osborne set where an integrated Osborne-compatible die-and-cutter system better suits the workshop.

Upholstery Fabric Cutters for Professional Workshops

This cutter is suitable for:

• Professional upholsterers
• Headboard manufacturers
• Furniture manufacturers
• Furniture restoration workshops
• Bespoke furniture makers
• Soft furnishing businesses
• Contract furniture manufacturers
• Upholstery production departments

For press-based cutting, use a compatible fabric press such as the D-3 Fabric & Button Press.

For manual cutting, combine the cutter with a Teflon Cutting Block and a suitable mallet.

For heavier materials, use the Leather Cutter.

Browse Buttoning Tools for presses, cutters, dies and specialist upholstery button-making equipment.

Browse Button Parts for aluminium shells, backs, washers and associated button components.

For help choosing the correct cutter, die or button-making setup, contact us.

Professional upholstery button fabric cutter for cutting consistent fabric pieces when making covered furniture buttons.

• Available in sizes 24, 28, 30, 36 and 44
• made for cutting upholstery fabric for covered-button production
• Compatible with most suitable fabric presses
• Can also be used manually with a cutting block and mallet
• Helps produce consistent button-cover pieces
• Use it for headboards, furniture upholstery and deep-buttoning work
• Suitable for professional upholsterers, furniture manufacturers and restoration workshops

For press-operated cutting, pair with the D-3 Fabric & Button Press.

For manual cutting, use with a suitable Teflon Cutting Block and mallet.

For leather and heavier covering materials, use the dedicated Leather Cutter.

Browse Buttoning Tools for presses, dies, cutters and professional covered-button equipment.