Is your zipper rippling when you sew it in? Not a catastrophe! In this post, you'll learn 10 brilliant tips for a beautifully sewn-in zipper.
Zipper rippling when sewing in: What to do?
You know the drill: You've sewn a beautiful jacket and are already looking forward to "taking it out" for the first time. But what’s this? The zipper is rippling as you sew it in! And yet you did everything right. Or did you?
Unfortunately, it’s true: the entire look of the jacket suffers when a zipper is sewn in with ripples. But it doesn't have to be this way! In this blog post, I will reveal my best tips for sewing in a zipper correctly.
In the first part of the post, I will give you some general tips for sewing in a zipper without ripples.
In the second part, I will give you a guide on how a pro sews in a zipper—in a way that you can easily replicate at home.
You will see: ripply zippers will be a thing of the past for you, too! :)
Sewing in a zipper without ripples: 10 brilliant tips!
Why does it even happen that the zipper ripples when sewing it in or during subsequent washing?
Basically, you can assume that the length of the fabric and the zipper are not exactly matched.
But how can that be?, you might ask. You measured everything precisely beforehand! I'm sure of it. However, that is not quite enough to understand the anatomy of a sewn-in zipper.
Here are my best tips for properly sewing in zippers. Sometimes it is enough to follow just one of the tips. Occasionally, however, you need them all together to get a good, ripple-free sewing result. :)
Tip #1: Pre-washing
It is often the case that the fabric or zipper shrinks when washed.
Yes, you read that right: zippers shrink, too! My first tip: if you pre-wash the fabric, simply put the zipper in the washing machine with it.
That might sound strange at first, but it helps to avoid ripples.
Tip #2: Ironing
Ironing also influences how fabric will behave when being sewn and worn. As a rule, iron both the fabric and the zipper.
However, be careful not to iron the plastic teeth. They generally don't tolerate iron heat and can melt.
Tip #3: Stay tape
Ripply zippers are often the result of two factors: a stiff zipper and more or less elastic fabric.
To stabilize the fabric after washing and ironing, you should reinforce it. Stay tape* is wonderful for this! Simply iron it flush onto the back of the fabric and let it cool down. You’ll see, it works wonders!
Alternative: Staystitching
It doesn't always have to be stay tape: a simple staystitch can also help! You simply sew a long straight stitch along the fabric edge within the seam allowance.
What sounds so simple provides additional stability, especially with boiled wool and fleece fabrics.
Of course, you can also combine both! Then you perform the staystitch first and then reinforce the fabric edge with stay tape.
Tip #4: Walking foot
Do you know this issue from softshell jackets? Softshell is actually great to sew. But when it comes to the zipper, the zipper foot pushes the fabric ahead of itself.
You can prevent this with a walking foot. My Janome comes standard with a narrow walking foot. If I set the needle all the way to the left while using the walking foot, I can sew in zippers fantastically!
Tip #5: Presser foot pressure
If you don't own a narrow walking foot, you can try reducing the presser foot pressure. It's best to check your sewing machine's manual for the correct setting.
If you've never done this before, take a photo of the dial beforehand. That way, you can use it as a guide afterward to return everything to the default setting.
Tip #6: Stretch stitch for stretch fabrics
Who says that a zipper always has to be sewn in with a straight stitch? Try a narrow zigzag stitch if you want to sew the zipper into particularly stretchy fabrics!
Tip #7: Basting or gluing
It goes against my desire for simplicity and quick solutions. But after many hours with a seam ripper, I’ve finally realized: basting is important!
By basting your zipper before the actual sewing, you retain control over whether and how much the fabric stretches.
When basting, you have the opportunity to adjust the fabric to the zipper piece by piece. And symmetrically, too: you can also adjust it so that the pattern of the fabric lies exactly aligned on both sides of the zipper. Cool, right?
It is important that you divide the sewing distance into equal parts. That way, it will be nice and even.
You can baste by hand or with a long straight stitch. For fabrics with little elasticity, I use the sewing machine with a 5 mm stitch length.
For soft, stretchy fabrics, I baste the zipper in with needle and thread using a hand-basting stitch.
Alternative: Gluing with Wonder Tape
Instead of basting, you can also wonderfully glue the zipper in with Wonder Tape*. The great thing about this method is that you can always detach the tape and adjust the zipper.
If you choose this method, you should get a few anti-glue needles*. Anti-glue means the needles are coated with a kind of Teflon. Wonder Tape sticks like crazy to sewing machine needles.
Especially when you want to keep many new tips in mind, you can't also pay attention to whether the needle happens to hit the Wonder Tape! That can easily get stressful.
And if the seam turns out badly because the thread snaps or the fabric is no longer feeding properly because everything is glued up, that is just particularly annoying.
Admittedly, even anti-glue needles (which are often used in embroidery!) don't prevent sticking 100%. But they reduce it greatly. If I notice that the needle has picked up adhesive, I wipe it off with nail polish remover (don't forget the eye!). Then it sews perfectly again!
Tip #8: Zipper shorter than the fabric
Ripples or zipper ends pushing out of the fabric are a sure sign that your zipper is too long!
A tip for very stretchy fabrics: Choose your zipper 10–15% shorter than the fabric! Divide the zipper into even sewing segments.
Then sew the zipper in while slightly pushing the fabric ahead of the needle. You'll be amazed! :)
Tip #9: Differential feed
If your sewing machine is equipped with a differential feed, you can set it to "gather" for stretchy fabrics. You should test the exact setting on a scrap piece.
Tip #10: Don't get upset!
For many avid sewers, sewing in a zipper brings a certain level of nervousness. Sure, everything is fine so far, the seams look great, the hood fits. Now the zipper is supposed to provide the finishing touch.
Often it's even the case that you've been sewing the jacket all day and want to sew in the zipper quickly in the evening. Just to get it finished. In such a moment, one rarely thinks about little extras like basting or reinforcing...
So you often sit at the sewing machine with damp hands when sewing it in. Basically, you know the risk. And you know in advance that it can go wrong.
I advise against sewing in a zipper at the end of a long day of sewing.
Sleep on it! And sew the zipper in the next day, well-rested and with fresh concentration. That does the trick!
Zipper ripples after washing
This can be because you didn't wash and iron the fabric and zipper beforehand. The fabric usually shrinks more than the zipper.
This little inaccuracy can already lead to annoying ripples.
Sewing in a zipper like a pro!
To sew a zipper correctly into a jacket, besides the tips listed above, the right workflow is also important. Tip: For a detailed description, also check out my post: Binding a zipper.
My golden tip
Be sure to sew the zipper in on both sides either from the top or from the bottom. If you sew once from the top and once from the bottom, the fabric often can't help but shift.
That is where a zipper disaster is pre-programmed. :)
- Fold the zipper in half and mark the divisions. You can optionally also mark the quarters. This is useful if you are working with this method for the first time.
- Also mark the half and, if necessary, the quarter distance on the fabric.
- Separate the zipper. Place it flush right sides together against the fabric edge. The zipper coil faces toward the side seam. The slider is at the bottom.
- Baste or glue the zipper evenly to the fabric as described in the tips. Start at the top and bottom ends.
- Insert the anti-glue needle if necessary.
- Now you can start sewing: hold the zipper taut at the top end. While sewing, gently ease the fabric in according to the marks and sew until shortly before the first mark.
- Stop shortly before reaching the first mark.
- The zipper end is now on the end of the sewing distance. Align the fabric once more and then sew to the end point.
- Close the zipper.
- Sew the second side in with the zipper closed. Start at the same end as on the other side of the zipper! :)
- Sew again until the first mark. Hold the zipper taut again and distribute the fabric just as evenly as on the first side.
- If the slider bothers you along the way, lift the presser foot, leave the needle in the fabric, and guide the slider past the foot. Then you can continue!
- Sew to the end. Afterward, you can topstitch the seam allowance, e.g., with a straight stitch.
And now you can try out your newly acquired knowledge: sew yourself a beautiful Lovis!
Feel free to write me your opinion on this blog post in the comments!
Happy simple sewing,
your Sabine
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