[Hill Walker]

Gremlin it is clear from the replies to your apparently simple question that you have demonstrated how skills that were both common and easily accessed have now become difficult to find. Whilst I cannot point you at a particular person I do have two suggestions which might help.

1) If you have a local professional or amateur theatre group try to contact the person who looks after their costumes they may be willing and able to help, they often have to alter clothing.

2) Look around for someone who has a fairly modern sewing machine and is willing to spend a few minutes practising. When my parents were down-sizing in the 80's my mother decided to replace her old and trusty Singer sewing machine with a modern table-top one which could be packed away when not in use. I can remember some of her comments as she worked her way bemused through the half inch thick manual which described all the 'clever' things it could do., one of these was button-holes. If you can find someone with one of these machines there is a good chance they have not fully read its manual and are unaware of its full capability.