Beginner · 30–45 minutes · 7 steps
How to sew a zipper
A zipper looks intimidating because it is the one part of a garment that visibly fails when it goes wrong. In reality it is a straight seam sewn twice, and almost all of the result comes from what you do before the zip goes anywhere near the machine: press the seam, mark the opening, and let the fold guide you instead of your eyes.
Why it's worth learning
Zippers appear in skirts, trousers, dresses, cushion covers and bags. Once you can put one in a straight seam, invisible zips, fly fronts and zip pouches are all variations on the same movement.
What you'll need
- A zipper foot (most machines include one)
- A regular closed-end zip, 2–4 cm longer than your opening
- Fabric clips or fine pins
- A well-heated iron and a pressing cloth
Fabric notes
- Woven fabrics are easiest for a first zip — cotton poplin, twill or linen.
- Knit fabric needs a stay tape or a strip of light interfacing along the zip seam so the opening doesn't stretch.
- Very thick fabric (denim, coating) works better with a metal zip and a longer stitch length.
The steps, in order
- 01
Choose the zip before you cut the opening
Measure the finished opening you want and buy a zip that is slightly longer. It is always easier to shorten a zip, or leave the extra at the top, than to stretch an opening to fit.
- 02
Sew the seam below the zip first
Stitch the seam normally from the hem up to where the zip will start, and backstitch there. Then switch to your longest stitch and baste the rest of the seam closed. That basting holds the opening perfectly aligned while you work.
- 03
Press the whole seam open
This is the step people skip and the reason zips look homemade. Press the entire seam — basted section included — completely flat and open. The two pressed folds are now your stitching guide.
- 04
Position the zip face down on the seam
Lay the closed zip face down on the wrong side, centred over the basted seam, with the teeth sitting exactly in the seam line. Clip or hand-baste it in place — pins tend to shift the zip as it feeds through.
- 05
Stitch one side from the bottom up
Fit the zipper foot, start at the bottom of the zip, and stitch up one side about 6 mm from the teeth. Sewing both sides in the same direction keeps the fabric from twisting.
- 06
Stitch the second side the same way
Return to the bottom and stitch the other side in the same direction, the same distance from the teeth. Pivot across the bottom of the zip to join the two lines if the opening needs a closed base.
- 07
Unpick the basting and press again
Snip the long basting stitches every few centimetres and pull them out. Press from the wrong side with a cloth so you don't melt the zip tape, then test the pull.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Sewing the zip into an unpressed seam
Without a pressed fold to follow, your stitching wanders and the zip ripples. Press first — every time.
Sewing the two sides in opposite directions
The fabric shifts a fraction on each pass, so the two sides end up different lengths and the top of the garment steps out of line.
Pinning instead of basting
Pins let the zip creep as the fabric feeds. Hand-basting or clips take five extra minutes and remove most of the risk.
Practise it on a project
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