Most garment need a closure of some sort. This is my favourite
The lapped zipper Tutorial
There are three basic ways of inserting a zipper - lapped, centered and invisible. I am going to show you how I insert a lapped zipper which is my preferred choice.
There are many different ways of sewing a lapped zipper, over the years I have found a method which works and is easy to sew and I want to share it with you.
You need an ordinary closed end zip, all colours and sizes are stocked by Jaycotts.co.uk Zippers so do look .
Why choose a lapped zipper? I find it to be incredibly neat, professional looking , and it is easy to sew. As you know I trained as a Tailor and this was the preferred zip application even then, except it was faced and stitched entirely by hand. Whether you sew it by hand or machine your zipper will be totally hidden and you will only see one row of stitching.
It is also very comfortable for a side zipper which can otherwise irritate the skin on the inside of your upper arm.
You will need to start the process at cutting out stage. Check the length of your zip against the pattern to make sure it is the right length, it needs to extend a little beyond the top of the fabric.
Cut the seam allowance where the zip will go to exactly one inch , then cut the fabric out. This is the back of a dress.
Stitch the centre back seam up to the zip extention, securing your stitches firmly at the top. Then press the centre back seam open.
Working on the LEFT side press the seam allowance under by exactly one inch .This will become the underlap.
Then on the RIGHT side press the seam allowance under by 3/4" this will form the overlap
Place the closed zipper underneath the underlay, right side up. Then zipper teeth should be at the very edge of the underlay crease. Pin it in place and using a normal zipper foot stitch directly next to the left of the zipper teeth
This will all make sense when you try it I promise..
Place your overlay carefully on top of the zip and underlay. This is where I like to use masking tape to hold everything in place. I put it so that I can easily topstitch the right side and bottom of the zipper this simple little trick really does make a huge difference to the ease of application , and the appearance
