Utility stitches and practical sewing
44
Inserting centered zippers
(concealed on both sides)
• Attach the zipper foot to the right side.
• Baste or pin the zipper in place and
position it under the presser foot so
that the teeth run along the side of the
presser foot.
• Sew in half of the zipper, leaving the
needle in the material. Raise the press-
er foot and close the zipper.
• You can now sew the rest of the seam
to the end of the zipper and stitch the
cross-wise seam.
• Sew the second half of the zipper paral-
lel, the same distance from the center
seam as the
À
rst half.
• Stop shortly before the end of the seam
and leave the needle in the material.
Raise the presser foot and open the
zipper.
• You will now be able to complete the
seam.
Sewing in zippers
There are different ways to sew in zip-
pers. For skirts we recommend inserting
a centered zipper. For men
·
s or ladies
·
pants (trousers), a lapped zipper works
best. Different types of zippers are availa-
ble in retail stores: invisible, metal, plastic,
jeans and outerwear to name a few. We
recommend metal zippers for heavier fab-
rics such as jeans. For all other materials
a plastic zipper will work well and create a
softer
À
nish to your completed garment.
For all types of zip-
pers it is important
to sew close to the
teeth of the zipper.
The zipper foot can
be engaged in the
foot holder to the
left or right, depend-
ing on the method
of insertion. If the foot is attached on the
left, you can also use the needle position
“left” (c.f. page 27).