You really didn't expect me to break out into song, did you?
Good, because today's post is about zippers. So, I've been working on the two skirts on my project list. I'm using the Vintage Vogue pattern that I'm absolutely thrilled with, Vogue 2885.
Digging through my zipper drawer it seems that I have a million zippers but not one, never mind two, in the proper size and colour. What is a sewist to do? The only thing they can do besides running out to the fabric store to buy another zipper.
The two zippers in the colour that I was looking for were too long for the skirt opening on the side. No worries... a little alterations and it will work.
I just need to measure the zipper, here I'm guess-imating, according to the skirt side marking before I marked it in pencil.
Time for some hand stitching or a zig-zag stitch. I also like stitch #27 on my sewing machine for this type of job. I hand stitched the teeth of the zipper where I would like the stop to be... about six stitches with heavy weight thread should do the trick. I finished off the zipper ends with the serger
One down, one to go...
All ready to insert the zipper! But gotta baste it in place first...
And yeah... here is a fine example of why I don't like sewing zippers. The waist seam got caught in my stitching. Luckily, I caught it (no pun intended) in the nick of time.
Have I mentioned that this is my favourite sewing tool? Some days I don't know what I would do without a seam ripper by my side.
You're right, a seam ripper is vital. I try very hard to never think "oh that will do" - in the long run it is so much better to rip out something that isn't quite right and do it again.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was in sewing class, the Seam ripper was my best friend :)
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