EASY Zipper Tutorial

It took me a long time to take the plunge and work with zippers but after sitting down for an afternoon and taking the time to figure it out I was so glad I did! I looked for many tutorials to help me out and none of the ones I found were very detailed or had enough pictures - I am a visual learner. So, I decided to create a tutorial to help YOU! :) I hope you enjoy it and it inspires you to make something with a zipper.

Tip: practice on scrap fabric before attempting your project. You can use your zipper again after you use a seam ripper to remove the seam. ;)

Here goes...

Start out with your fabrics and zipper. You will place the fabric pieces right side together with the zipper right side up sandwiched between the fabric. You want to make sure your cut your fabric 1 inch longer than the zipper so you can close the ends on whatever you are making.

This is a close up of them sandwiched. Now line them up and pin along the top side....

Like so.

When you get to the end your zipper piece will feel like it's in the way but don't worry I will show you how to avoid that mess. ;)

With your zipper foot on you want to set your sewing machine on a regular straight stitch with a stitch length of 2.0 to 2.5 for a dense and sturdy stitch that will stand up to the test of time. Now you will see how the close zipper will run along the guide.

When you get to the zipper piece stop, raise the foot and unzip the zipper so it looks like the next picture...

Now make sure you keep the three pieces lined up and continue on to the end and you will get this....

Now you need to top stitch to hold the fabrics in place and so they don't snag on the zipper. It is so important that you ensure you keep pulling the fabrics tight and evenly as you sew. This is the trickiest step and will probably take some practice so take your time.

When you get to the end again do the same steps to move open the zipper...

Remember to keep pulling the under fabric tight so you wont get any snags when zipping.

The first side is complete! Congratulations. :)

Now your going to move on to the next step. This time the beginning will have the zipper piece. You want to unzip and pin the sandwich again. The pieces will be right sides facing again..

This is what it will look like when you look on the inside.

after you sew about 6 or 7 inches (enough so when you close the zipper the zipper piece is behind your foot out of the way) you  will close the zipper.

When finished the other side will look like this.

Now top stitch again. Begin with the zipper open and go about 6-7 inches so the zipper can be closed and the zipper piece will be out of the way behind the foot.

like this.

And there you have it! Now go have fun practicing and making things with zippers! :) Leave some love in the comments section if you like the tutorial!

Have a suggestion for a tutorial you would like to see? Contact me HERE!

I'm linking up!