Have You Ever Wondered How to Insert a Concealed Zip?

Concealed zips with no stitches being visible on the outside of the garment are very popular for students at the moment.

To sew zips successfully you require the correct zipper foot. A concealed zipper foot is bought as an additional accessory and resembles twin archways side by side.

Selecting the correct zip can be problematic too. By the time you have located the colour and the length that you require you may well inadvertently buy the wrong one. Concealed zippers are distinctive with their slender teardrop zipper handle and teeth on the reverse of the zip and are only available in a limited range of colours.

To insert the concealed zip, preparation is key:  unzip the zip and with a warm iron press the zip flat, there is a natural curl along the length of the zip just inside the teeth try and iron this out (this should only take a few seconds) do not apply the iron to the plastic teeth. Tack (on your machine is fine using a longer stitch length and high contrast coloured thread) a seam line on the garment opening where the zip will be. Tack each seam separately, not taking the seam together, you have two lines of stitching. Undo the zip, place it face down on the right side of the garment so that the raw edge of the zip (as opposed to the unzipped teeth) is closest to the raw edge of the fabric. Pin in place with the pins parallel to the zip and the sharp end of the pin pointing towards the opening,  lining up the zip teeth on your taking line. Only prep one side of the zip at at time. Sew  towards the end of the zip taking out the pins as you get to them. When sewing the left hand side of the zip use the left ‘archway’. When sewing the right hand side of the zip use the right ‘archway’ of the concealed zipper foot. The line of stitches should run as close to the open teeth as possible. The unfinished seam below the inserted zip is then finished with the regular zipper foot.

March 15, 2017