With the increasing diversification of women’s dressing styles, fabrics and sewing methods, more attention should be paid to the installation and application of invisible zippers due to their special design.

In this post, we would like to point out some of the issues that you may frequently run into during the installation and application of invisible zippers, and provide some solutions accordingly.

1.The fabric/thread gets stuck in the slider

As for the double-layer clothing whose outer layer involves fluffy and light/meshy/irregular lace or residual thread, the fabric will easily get caught in the internal cavity of the slider, which will increase the sliding resistance. In this case, trying to pull the slider by brute force will bring damage to the zipper teeth or result in the abnormal joining of the elements.

Tips

• Avoid pulling the slider by brute force when the fabric or thread gets caught in the internal cavity of the slider. Pull the slider back with as little force as possible.
• As for the multi-layer fabrics with light/meshy outer layer, sew a line on both sides of the fabric where the zipper will be attached for placement.

2.Extremely Thick Splicing Section

Special attention should be paid when invisible zippers are attached to the clothing that involves splicing as the splicing section will get thick due to the folding of the fabrics. Bad sewing quality will narrow and block the sliding track, making it difficult to close and open the zipper.  Pulling the slider by brute force will break the zipper teeth and bring damage to the tape.

Tips

• As is known to all, the distance between the seam line at the splicing section and the zipper chain should be greater than 2cm when the invisible zipper is attached to the fabric that involves splicing, compared to the normal fabrics. Additionally, corresponding measures should be taken at the wrong side of the splicing section as well, where the overlapped fabrics should be spread prior to sewing in case the splicing section gets too thick and stiff.

3.Dislocation Of The Seam Line

When the seam line is not sewn in place where the zipper will be attached with a zigzag shape, the force will be applied to a certain point on the tape when the clothes are put on, which is supposed to be applied to the surface. Warp dislocation will occur with the tape if the force applied to this point goes beyond its limit.

Tips

• Installation should be performed using the specialized invisible zipper presser foot.

4.The Stitch Gets Too Close To The Zipper Teeth During The Installation Process & Residual Thread.

As is demonstrated in the pictures below, the presser foot sews over the zipper teeth and the thread remains in the zipper chain during the installation process of the zipper, which makes it difficult to pull the slider.

Tips

• The residual thread should be disposed of during the installation process, which should be performed using the specialized invisible zipper presser foot.

5.Selection of The Fabrics and Zippers

Generally speaking, 3# invisible zipper with lace tape is applicable to the thin and light fabrics. Taking into consideration the fact that thick fabrics have also been widely applied to women’s wear, we recommend choosing 3# or the larger #4 invisible zipper with normal tape in case that the fabric does not go well with the size of the zipper.

Guide to Installing An Invisible Zipper

Attention should be paid to the invisible zippers when they are attached to the clothing due to their special sewing method.

• Choose the specialized invisible zipper presser foot.
• There are two types of presser feet available for invisible zippers currently, the one/single sided presser foot and the presser foot with grooves respectively. As for the single sided presser foot, place the needle close to the border of the presser foot. However, don’t get too close to the zipper teeth or sew over the zipper teeth, which will make it difficult to open and close the zipper. For the presser foot with grooves, position the needle at the gap in the middle of the presser foot so the zipper teeth could slide beneath the groove.
• The invisible zipper should be installed before the cut pieces are sewn. Unzip the zipper and iron it at low-temperature to press out the zipper teeth so that they could lay flat. Take care not to damage the teeth.  The zipper should be opened during the application process.
• Flip the zipper chain bone over. Install the left side of the zipper first, starting at the top until you reach the bottom of the zipper. Then start from the bottom of the zipper and install the other side. Make sure both sides of the pieces joined align perfectly, and stitch as close to the zipper teeth as possible without stitching through them until you reach the appropriate position. Assemble the corresponding cut pieces after the installation is finished.
• Sew a few backstitches at both sides of the fabric where the zipper is attached.
• The stitching should be straight. Broken stitches will get caught in the zipper chain.

Quick Glance At The Presser Foot With Grooves

• Application: Used for installing the invisible zippers.
• Feature: There are 2 zipper grooves under the presser foot.
• Operation: Determine the location where the zipper will be attached and put the right side of the fabric against the right side of the zipper. Open up the zipper, with one side facing up. Position the zipper teeth under the appropriate groove on the presser foot and make sure the teeth are properly located in the groove. Lower the presser foot and start sewing. Repeat the steps for the opposite side.

SBS Zipper will figure out more solutions.  Share your creative ideas with us in the comment below.