Craft: transforming traditional crafts

By Nicole Vasbinder

Over the course of my teaching career, I have heard countless students say that they are terrified of zippers. And that they will avoid styles that call for a zipper. This makes me sad, as they are really not that hard, and most skirts and dresses call for a zipper.

There are two main types of zippers used in clothing: a regular coil zipper (pictured left) and an invisible zipper (pictured right).

Regular coil zippers tend to be used down the center back or front of dresses and skirts (and also in bags and other projects.) The zipper coils are visible from the right side. Sometimes the seam is sewn to conceal the coils and sometimes it is sewn to expose the coils. There will be visible stitching so you want to make sure you match your thread color well and sew very straight! The most common installation for a regular zipper is the centered or railroad zipper.

Invisible zippers are usually seen down the center back or side seam in dresses and skirts. The coils are hidden on the back and the zipper pull is a small teardrop. Once an invisible zipper is installed there isn’t any visible stitching and the only thing you see is the teardrop pull. Because of this, invisible zippers tend to come in less colors than regular zippers. If you find that you need a very specific color match to your project, simply paint the teardrop zipper pull.

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Shortening a Zipper

Sometimes you can’t find the right length of zipper in the color you need. No worries, you can always shorten a zipper! But remember, you can’t make a zipper longer. Make sure you always purchase longer zippers rather than ones that may end up being too short for your project.

Directions

Step 1: Set your machine to a wide zigzag stitch and adjust the stitch length to 0. Stitch a bunch of zigzag stitches right over the coils where you want the new zipper stop to be.

Step 2: Cut off the excess zipper, leaving about 1" below your new zipper stop.

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Centered Zipper

This is the zipper you see on most skirts and dresses. Make sure to match the zipper color well, as you may end up seeing the zipper coils or tape. I am purposely using contrasting thread here but you will want to make sure you match your thread colors well.

Materials

Zipper foot
Basting taste or glue stick
Seam ripper
Pins

Directions

Step 1: Finish your seam allowances first because it will be next to impossible to do it after the zipper is installed. You can serge your edges, zigzag them, or pink them, whatever you prefer.

Step 2: Place the seam together with right sides facing. Make sure you mark where the zipper stop goes with either chalk, a fabric marker, or a pin. Sew the seam together from the mark down to the bottom of the seam, making sure to backstitch at either end.

Step 3: Now adjust your stitch length to the longest length, and baste the seam together from the top down to your mark. You will eventually be removing these stitches so don’t backstitch. You may even want to use a contrasting thread here to make it easier to see these stitches later.

Step 4: Press your seam open.

Step 5: Working on the wrong side, place your zipper face down onto the pressed open seam. Have the zipper stop at your mark. Make sure that the zipper coil is absolutely centered on the seam. You don’t want it wiggling side to side. You can pin your zipper in place or you can tape it in place using double-sided basting tape, or even a glue stick. The top raw edges of the zipper tape will usually end up encased in a seam (waistband, facing, etc.), but if it won’t be, then fold the raw ends of the tape under neatly. On the right side, mark where the zipper stop is with chalk or a pin.

Step 6: Now it’s time for the zipper foot! A zipper foot can be snap on or screw on. It will be narrower than a regular foot and will also have a groove on each side for the needle to come down close to the foot and zipper coils. Remove the regular foot from your machine and install the zipper foot so that the foot is attached on the left half. Adjust your stitch length back to standard 2.5mm straight stitch.

Step 7: With the seam face up, stitch down the right side of the zipper. Line up the left edge of the foot on the seam and use that as your seam guide. Make sure you sew slow and straight! At the bottom, pivot just before the zipper stop, stitch the bottom, and backstitch.

Step 8: Now move the zipper foot over to the right and stitch down the left side of the zipper to the bottom, and backstitch.

Step 9: With a seam ripper, very carefully rip out the basting stitches and press the seam flat.

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Invisible Zipper

I adore invisible zippers, and they are my preferred zipper choice. Although the name makes them sounds intimidating, I think they are actually easier since there isn’t any visible topstitching. So if your stitch isn’t perfect, who’s going to know? In fact, even if a pattern calls for a regular zipper, I frequently swap out for an invisible. The big difference is that with the invisible zipper you will install it first and then sew the seam.

Materials

Invisible zipper foot
Pins
Basting tape

Directions

Step 1: Finish your seam allowances by serging, zigzag, or pinking. Then unzip your zipper, place it face down on the ironing board, and press the coils flat. You won’t melt them, so don’t worry.

Step 2: Remove the regular foot from your sewing machine and replace it with an invisible zipper foot. It should have 2 deep grooves on the bottom that the zipper coils will fit into, a small hole in the center and mall grooves on each side. You may have one specifically for your machine or you can get a little plastic set in the notions department that comes with a foot, low shank, high shank, and slant shank. Make sure to slide the foot so that the needle comes down right in the middle of the center hole.

Step 3: Open your zipper and place it face down on your fabric, which should be face up. Line up the right edge of the zipper tape with the edge of the fabric. Slide over so that the coils are 1/2" from the edge. Pin in place or use basting tape.

Step 4: Line up the zipper coil in the left groove of the foot and stitch down until you hit the slider and can’t go any further. Make sure to backstitch at each end. Your stitch will be right in the weave that you uncovered when ironing the coils flats.

Step 5: Now lay the other side of the zipper face down on the half of the garment. Again make sure the coil is 1/2" from the edge. Line up the coil into the RIGHT groove and stitch down until you again hit the slider.

Step 6: Zip up your zipper to make sure that no fabric gets stitched in the coils. If it does, you stitched too close to the coils and you’ll need to rip out the stitches and re-stitch.

Step 7: Now it’s time to finish sewing the seam. Match the seam up right sides together and fold the end of the zipper tape over to the right so it doesn’t get caught in the seam. Flatten everything down as much as you can. This can sometimes be a little tricky. Now slide your invisible zipper foot to the left so the needle comes down in the right side groove. Starting about 1/8" up and 1/8" to the left of the existing seam, sew about 1" or so. Then switch to your regular foot and finish the seam with 5/8" seam allowance.

I hope this has taken some of the fear out of zippers!

About the Author:

Nicole Vasbinder has designed the accessory line Queen Puff Puff since 2003, and sells her retro-flavored handbags and accessories throughout the United States and beyond. Nicole also owns StitchCraft, a hip sewing and craft studio in Petaluma, Calif., and co-produces the popular Petaluma Downtown Craft Mart. As a sideline, she recently started making and selling journals made from recycled record albums under the label Vinyl Frontier.