Sewing 101: Invisible Zipper Tutorial

I'm not an expert by any means and there are MANY great zipper tutorials (2 of my favorites here and here), but I wanted to share this from the perspective of someone who has never been a "natural" at anything.  I have a tendency to take shortcuts / do things my own way / learn via trial and error and this is the easiest method for me when it comes to sewing in a zipper.  :)

Typical Zipper Lengths and Project Types:

• 7-9" = Skirts
• 12-14" = Side zips on dresses / tops
• 20-22" = Back zips on dresses / tops

I personally use the 7-9" and 20-22" sizes the most.  Though side zips are nice in minimizing a zipper on the exterior, I find that the zipper tab bothers me throughout the day.  I stock up on white, beige, and black zippers during every sale and find that those are really the only colors I need.  I do also pick up odd colors on clearance (sale goggles are applicable with sewing supplies too) and throw those in on occasion (like this leopard print with lilac zipper).  Since you only see the zipper tab, even an out-there color doesn't matter too much.

Getting Started:

If you read the directions on the packaging, they advise you to iron the zipper first so that the area folded underneath the teeth is exposed and ready for sewing.  In order for your zipper to be "invisible", you need to stitch right along this little groove (great pictures in the tutorials mentioned above).  For whatever reason, I can never seem to iron to the point of it being completely exposed (might be the fear of accidentally burning my fingers or melting the zipper).  So I forgo the ironing and move right along.

What I do:

1.) Unzip the zipper and align one side first.  I place the zipper stop at where the top of my garment will be.  Pin in place.

In the case of the skirt below, this is halfway up the length of the waistband.

2.) Baste one side.  

3.) Close the zipper to align your other side by matching the waistband / skirt seams up.

4.) Baste the other side.  Do not worry about basting these perfectly!  As you can tell, I do these pretty quickly because the main purposes of basting are to allow for try-ons and test zipper positioning. In the event that the garment needs to be looser or tighter, you just need to tug the bobbin thread and the whole zipper will come off for easy realignment.

Quickly baste your zipper in to test garment fit and zipper positioning

5.) Once I'm happy with the positioning, I use a regular zipper foot (I tried one of those plastic invisible zipper foots once and could not get the stitching close enough for the zipper to be invisible) to stitch along the groove.

5a.)  To do this, I use the wider part of the foot base to push the teeth down and my fingers to expose the groove while I slowly stitch my way down.  Caution - be very aware of of where your fingers are in relation to the needle!

 6.) Repeat Step 5 for the second side.  The bonus to pre-basting is that the zipper won't get away from you while you're sewing along the groove.

Once complete, you can remove the basting if you'd like.  I usually just keep it in since it doesn't affect anything and no one can see it in the interior.

True to its name, the zipper should be invisible when zipped 

 7.) To close up the rest of the garment beneath the zipper, simply position your needle alongside your zipper right above its tail and sew all the way down.  Remember to backstitch at the beginning and end.

8.)  Now time to close up the top of the zipper.

If you were to fold this over normally to stitch down, the top of the zipper tape might become exposed:

My Mom taught me to simply fold the fabric over the zipper and stitch closely along the teeth:

When you flip the fabric over, you'll see that both the excess fabric and top zipper tape are neatly enclosed:

Finished!

Exterior view of installed zipper - see the visible tab?

How the zipper looks from the interior

Questions?  Please feel free to comment below, tweet me, or email me.

Tutorial: Box Pleated Skirt DIY

A continuation from last week's post, here's the tutorial for the box pleated skirt.

Box Pleated Skirt DIY

Difficulty: Easy

Time: ~2 hrs

Materials:

• ~1 yard of 54-60" wide fabric - you'll want something that will hold a little structure like a cotton
• 9" invisible zipper
• Optional interfacing (more info in this tutorial)

Due to the number of photos, please see the rest of the tutorial after the jump.

Box Pleated Skirt DIY

I've been trying to devote time to round 2 of my black tie DIY, but the more I do, the more of a "sewing block" I have.  So I decided to relax my sewing brain with a simple skirt project.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: ~2 hours

Pattern:  Make your own from a couple of rectangles - tutorial here

Materials: 

• 1 yard of 56.5" wide home decor Fabric from the Fabric Outlet (Mission)
• 9" invisible zipper

Skirt and how I wore it to work

Of course I made one for E too :)

Unrelated, but I'm totally in love with this necklace (eBay) :) 

Tutorial for this skirt is coming up in the next post!

Black Tie DIY: Phase 1

I wanted a more dramatic look for this year's black tie DIY (see last year's dress) and decided I would go with a fuller skirt, a print, and a bodice that would allow me to wear a regular undergarment (I feel like I'm constantly readjusting strapless bras) / feature a necklace of some sort.  After making a couple test bodices, I went with a simple one that seemed to fit my needs.  I was happily finishing up when my husband happened upon me and asked why my dress was skewing so "bridal."  I was about to protest  until I took a long look at my dress and realized he was right.  Epic FAIL.

The (inadvertently bridal) dress DIY

I added a tie at the back to dress up the simple bodice

So what do I do with this dress now?  I contemplated doing some kind of overlay, but ultimately, I think I'm just going to sew a different dress.  The rose dress will probably be a (very elaborate) Halloween dress - maybe the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland?  I seem to remember her having all the roses painted red in the cartoon.  I could then make E an Alice costume, V a Mad Hatter, and some yet to be named male character for my husband.  Ha, now I've roped in the whole family!

Phase 2 will consist of a new dress using this bold black / white paisley found at Fabrics R Us:

I might change the bodice in favor of something less plain.  Wish me luck!

What kinds of bodices / silhouettes are you drawn to for black tie occasions?

Pulled Pleat Skirt DIY

With every season of Project Runway, I feel inspired to drape on my dress form.  They make it look so easy!  I lack their techniques, so made a very simple modification to make my skirt a little different.  Using this tutorial, I cut the skirt longer and pulled the pleat up through the waistband instead of gathering the front.  Pin pleat in place, snip excess at the waistband, and then even out your hem.  You can pull as little or much as you like - just stop whenever it gives you your desired look.

Fabric: 100% cotton, Joann's, 45" width

Difficulty: Easy

Time: ~1.5 hrs

Pulled Pleat Skirt DIY

Ruffled Top DIY (original post here)

Easy Reversible Colorblock Skirt DIY Tutorial

Removable elements, reversible pieces, whatever - I love a gimmicky garment that offers options.  I had a small stripe of tan knit fabric from a previous colorblocking project and decided to use it in a skirt.  To make it kind of fun / versatile, I decided to make it reversible from tan / black to white / black.

Reversible Skirt DIY

Difficulty: Easy

Time: ~2 hrs

Materials:

• Your choice of colorblocking fabrics (also feel free to mix more than 2 blocks)
• Elastic for waistband

Due to the number of photos, please see the rest of the tutorial after the jump.