WhatTheCraft.com - TUTORIALS - inserting a zipper

inserting zippers

for this tutorial, i'll be inserting a skirt zipper, but the same process can be used for zippers in hoodies, zippers in bags, and more.

i'm putting the zipper into the back center seam (between the two back pieces). you could also put the zippper into the side seam of the skirt.

first, fold the skirt in half, so that the edges of the back pieces are lined up. the skirt should be inside out. pin along the edges of the skirt as shown.

feeling a little lost? check out the sewing basics or post a question in the forum.

sew along this line. you will want somewhere around an inch of seam allowance on each side. the more the merrier. so remember to take this into consideration when you are cutting out your pieces. use as long a stitch as possible for this.

here's your stitched line.

press this seam open with an iron, so it lays flat.

here is the seam pressed flat, with the zipper laid on top.

pin the zipper in place.

using a zipper foot, begin stitching the zipper down. you can use a straight stitch or a zig-zag stitch for this.

stitch until the needle is just past the zipper stop (indicated by the red arrow). make sure the needle is down (pushed into the fabric). lift up the foot and rotate the fabric so you can sew across the bottom of the zipper.