Zippers are scary!

Yes I'm still on the zipper help bandwagon, but hey, zippers and their insertion seems to be the one thing that people are scared to tackle  But there are some really good products out there which save time and angst!   One of them is double-sided tape (DST) and it's great when you are working on projects involving plastic overlaid onto fabric and you can't pin the zipper before sewing without making pin holes in your plastic - a big no- no!


Here's what I do.  Run a strip of DST along the edge of your fabric (regardless of whether it has a plastic overlay or not).  Remove the top paper and stick your zip to it as shown. No need for tacking (basting) or pins.  Really quick!

Then sew 1cm in from the edge using a zipper foot and hey-presto you're done and your zipper is aligned beautifully. PS: sewing in 1cm from edge is to ensure your needle avoids sewing through the DST as it can get a bit sticky. However don't panic if this does happen, you can clean the needle with eucalyptus oil afterwards.


TOP TIP: Recently I discovered you can buy a roll of DST from The Reject Shop for - wait for it - $2.00.  Normally a roll half the size costs me well over $10.00 from Lincraft or Spotlight.

I was a bit skeptical that it would work as well and used it on a project on the weekend.  It worked perfectly.

The finished product - a pencil case for little boys with a very sturdy zipper.

      








That's all for now - I have several exciting projects on the go - pictures are forthcoming.  
Happy zipping

the Flash...