Well, they were children and teenagers, respectively, and certainly preferred doing other things much more than sewing. Sewing on a uniform button does not require much: a few times through the eyelet and then knotting both ends of the thread together - done! The main thing was that it held (for now). Their mothers did the bigger jobs at home.
Of course, a button like the ones on the trousers with four holes in the middle, which were best sewn on crosswise, held better.