Confident beginner · 45 minutes · 7 steps
How to sew an invisible zipper
An invisible zip hides inside the seam so only the small pull shows. The technique is genuinely different from a normal zip: the zip goes in first, the seam goes in last, and the whole result depends on getting the stitching close enough to the coil without catching it.
Why it's worth learning
Invisible zips are the standard closure on skirts, dresses and fitted trousers. They make a homemade garment read as shop-bought more than almost any other single technique.
What you'll need
- An invisible zipper foot, or a regular zipper foot and patience
- An invisible zip a few centimetres longer than the opening
- Iron — used to press the coil flat before sewing
Fabric notes
- Stable wovens hold an invisible zip best: cotton twill, wool suiting, linen blends.
- On lightweight or loosely woven fabric, fuse a 2 cm strip of light interfacing along both seam allowances first.
The steps, in order
- 01
Press the zip coil flat
Open the zip and press the coil away from the tape with a warm (not hot) iron, so the teeth stand up and you can see where to stitch. Use a pressing cloth — the tape is synthetic.
- 02
Finish the seam allowances first
Overlock or zigzag both seam allowances before the zip goes in. Once the zip is installed you can no longer reach the edges.
- 03
Mark the zip position on both pieces
Mark the same start point on each side, usually 1 cm down from the raw edge, and mark the bottom stop. Matching these marks is what keeps the waistband level.
- 04
Stitch the first side, right side up
With the garment piece right side up and the zip face down on it, stitch in the groove right beside the coil, from the top mark down to the stop. Do not stitch onto the coil itself.
- 05
Stitch the second side
Close the zip, fold the other side of the tape over to the second garment piece, check the marks still line up, and stitch that side the same way from top to stop.
- 06
Close the seam below the zip
Swap to a normal foot. Starting slightly above where the zip stitching ended and a hair to the left of it, sew the rest of the seam down to the hem. Overlapping the start avoids the small hole that otherwise appears at the zip base.
- 07
Press and test
Press the seam open below the zip, press the zip area from the wrong side only, and run the pull up and down a few times before adding a waistband.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Not pressing the coil
You then guess where the stitch line goes, end up too far from the teeth, and the zip stays visible.
Stitching too close and catching the coil
The pull jams halfway. Unpick 2 cm, restitch a whisker further out, and test again.
Starting the lower seam below the zip stitching
That leaves a small gap at the base of the zip. Always start a few millimetres above where the zip stitching stopped.
Practise it on a project
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