Sewing in a zipper is not a tricky process. But when you need to insert it into clothes, where every seam is visible, the task becomes more complicated. This happens with a zipper in a skirt, especially a tight one. It needs to be sewn in so that it is unnoticeable and so that the seam does not bulge. And to do this you need to use some tricks, which we will discuss below.
How to properly sew a zipper into a skirt
Not all fabrics can be sewn with such a fastener without problems. It is easy to sew a lock onto densely textured materials without warping or pulling, which cannot be said about thin fabrics or knitwear. During the sewing process, the fabric may warp, stretch, or become wavy.
What you need to insert the lock yourself
To avoid distortions, use dublerin. This is a thin braid made of lining material, on one side it has a layer of hot-melt adhesive in the form of small grains. It is basted to the location of the lock, and under the influence of the high temperature of the iron, the braid is glued to the fabric.This will allow you to sew the fastener neatly, without distortions of the fabric or tubercles.
In general, to sew a zipper into a skirt, you will need:
- doublerin;
- zipper – one-piece, secret or spiral;
- iron and ironing board;
- sewing pins;
- scissors;
- foot for regular or hidden zipper;
- sewing machine.
IMPORTANT! Instead of dublerin, you can baste non-woven tape for hems.
With belt
In this case, the fastener is sewn in at the stage when the skirt (sun or pencil) is almost ready - the belt is sewn, all that remains is to connect everything at the back. You need to sew in a hidden zipper so that the joint is neat and the lock is fastened to the end of the belt.
IMPORTANT! You can sew a regular zipper, but then you will need a button on the belt.
So, the belt should be sewn on one side and ironed on the fold. To sew in a zipper:
- Unfold the waistband and make a notch at the skirt allowance, not reaching 1 mm from the seam. Distance from edge to notch = width of zipper tape. Simply turn the waistband allowance up and secure both with pins. This is necessary to remove excess thickness in the place where the hidden fastener is sewn;
- take the zipper with the keychain towards you and tuck the free edges of the tape away from you so that only the teeth are facing you. Unfasten the lock and turn half over to the other side;
- Place the folded half against the fold of the waistband, flush or 1mm lower. Release the folded edge and secure it with a pin, baste it to the skirt;
- make a stabilizing seam anywhere;
IMPORTANT! During the work process, the zipper is sewn to the front part of the skirt, then it will bend inward.
- Bend the teeth as much as possible and stitch with a special foot. You can unscrew it with your hands if you don’t have a paw for secret locks. But be careful not to sew through the teeth, otherwise you will have to rip it off and sew it on again.The more you bend the teeth, the closer to them you lay the stitch, the more invisible the lock will be on the product;
- fold the skirt with the front parts facing inward and fasten the zipper. Connect the line of the belt so that it is at the same level on both sides. Pin the lock in place with a pin and stitch 1-2 cm. This is necessary to ensure that the waistband line is straight when the lock is closed. If everything fits together, sew it to the end.
IMPORTANT! Don't forget to turn the skirt and waistband allowances on the other side to remove any thickness.
- Sew the skirt all the way down. Fold the belt along with the tails of the braid, baste it and stitch it. When you sew the belt completely, leave a little more thread. Insert them into the needle and hand sew part of the belt to the clasp using a blind stitch.
Without belt
This option is easier to implement. Having stitched 2 parts of the skirt and made marks, sweep away the fastener attachment point, continuing the stitching. Iron the seam, turn it in different directions and iron it. Place the clasp on the seam with the keychain facing down and baste one part of it.
Close the zipper and baste the second braid so that the front part of the skirt meets in one line at the junction of the parts. Now open, stitch along the front of the skirt to where the lock ends. Close it and sew a small strip across, this will be the transition from the right seam to the left. Turn the skirt over and stitch all the way to the end while closed. Finally, drag the slider down so that it does not interfere with your sewing.
IMPORTANT! This method is not suitable for secret locks.
With side lock
The lock on the side is made so that it is not noticeable, so it is logical to take a hidden zipper for it. This is not difficult to do if you know how to work with this type of fastener. Here's the algorithm:
- Place the skirt, right side out, on its side.Seam looks at you. Attach the lock to it, with the key fob towards you and unfasten it. Turn one braid from the center to the outside. Place this piece against the seam, face to face.
- The free tail of the braid protrudes into the skirt allowance so that the plastic stopper is positioned flush with the waistline. Baste the lock and then sew it on.
- Turn the skirt inside out and baste 2 braids, then sew it on. The top tail is folded over and sewn along with the belt or waistline.
IMPORTANT! If the skirt is lined, then hand sew it on top using a blind stitch, covering the inside of the braid and leaving only the teeth visible.
No seams
When sewing a seamless skirt, the lock is sewn in at the beginning of work. You need to sew a stitch in the waist area so that the fabric does not warp. On the back seam line, make marks 2-2.5 cm above the zipper fasteners. The back seam will need to be stitched to these marks.
Fold the skirt face to face and stitch the back seam to the marks. Now baste the pieces, continuing the stitching line. Iron the seam, then unfold it and iron it in different directions.
Now let's start sewing the zipper:
- place it face down on the seam - the keychain is facing down. Place the upper fasteners of the lock near the line along the waist line;
- pin the braid to the seam allowances so that the line with the teeth lies on the same seam line;
IMPORTANT! Pin the braid on the table. If you hold the canvas suspended, it will go in waves.
- baste the fastener to the seam allowance so that the thread goes close to the teeth, but not end to end, otherwise it will not be convenient to sew later;
- remove the basting that was used to connect the 2 parts of the skirt above the line. Don't confuse it with the outline you just made;
- unfasten the lock.At the junction of the 2 parts of the skirt, lower the slider into the hole and unzip the zipper all the way. Once you do this, you can easily see where the back seam ends;
- sew the lock on a sewing machine, stitching as close to the teeth as possible;
IMPORTANT! Stitch not to the end of the braid, but to the seam. Don't forget to tack at the end of each stitch.
- move the slider through the hole to the front side and fasten the lock;
- make fastenings at the lower ends of the braid so that it does not turn away when putting on the skirt.
With pleats
On a skirt with bow pleats, the zipper is placed on one of the side seams if it consists of 2 parts. If you sew from one piece, the lock is sewn into the seam. You need to calculate the folds so that the clasp is on the bow.
Another option is to sew a lock between the folds. It is suitable for products made from flowing fabrics. The fastener is placed on the side or back seam, and the folds are calculated so that the seam fits between the bows.
IMPORTANT! The lock is sewn in after fixing all the folds and one part of the belt. The technology for sewing a lock in this case is the same as for a skirt without seams. The upper part is processed like a skirt with a belt.
Features of working with hidden zippers
Using a low-quality hidden zipper, the result will disappoint you even if all the features are followed. Therefore, the most important thing, more important than a special foot, is a high-quality lock.
Signs of a high-quality hidden zipper:
- open and close it several times, the slider should slide easily and without feeling an obstacle. Otherwise, it will quickly break;
- When the lock is open, the plastic stopper should turn away freely along with the teeth. If it is soldered to the tape, you will not be able to bend it back and start stitching correctly;
- plastic stopper flush with the teeth. Otherwise, the zipper will not close properly.
When working with a hidden zipper, it is important to use a special foot. It is designed in such a way that when laying a line, it moves the teeth as far as possible. This is necessary so that only a thin line connecting the two parts is visible on the front side of the skirt. This happens when the stitching is laid close to the teeth of the fastener.
IMPORTANT! The foot for secret locks is available in plastic and metal. Both perform their function in the same way, but the second one will last you longer.
You can, of course, do the job with a standard zipper foot, which is included with modern sewing machines. But it is unlikely that you will be able to get so close to the teeth. After all, the special foot has grooves for the links, and when they get there, they turn away as much as possible. And the needle passes right next to the seam on the fastener braid so that it remains invisible on the finished product. Another advantage of the special foot is that it opens up space for stitching, and the risk of stitching along the teeth is reduced to zero, unlike a standard device.
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