School Me On Zippers

[thefanninator]

I'm ready to start using zippers in some of my work.

Where do you buy yours?

What brand do you use?

Special tools needed?

I plan on buying Riri from Buckle Guy. But I'm not sure what I should buy.

http://www.buckleguy.com/riri-finished-zippers/

Post some pics of your zipper work!

Thanks.

[MonicaJacobson]

I ended up getting YKK zippers on etsy.... because I wimped out on putting my own zippers together.... I'm about to install two zippers in the bag I'm working on (I've only installed two zippers before this), so I'll be interested to see what everyone else has been doing, as well.

Also, I haven't been able to find any good zipper tutorials for leather, yet. Of course, I've only spent about half an hour looking. I'm sure they're there, somewhere.

[DavidL]

The way I see it done is people will bound both the ends of the zipper with leather (vertically on both zippers or separately). Another way I seen it done is the excess is stitched onto the inside.

In the stohlman books he talks about the more traditional way of zipper installation. He takes pliers to crimp the zipper stop to connect the ends together.

[voxfini]

I'm in the midst of handstitching zippers and it is not easy... I noticed that using double sided tape to stick the zippers to the leather is better for sewing machine stitching but bad for hand stitching because it is not strong enough and creates this very sticky resistance when the needle goes through. It is giving me a hard time. My tip is use tape for machine and glue for hand stitching.

[thefanninator]

I'm in the midst of handstitching zippers and it is not easy... I noticed that using double sided tape to stick the zippers to the leather is better for sewing machine stitching but bad for hand stitching because it is not strong enough and creates this very sticky resistance when the needle goes through. It is giving me a hard time. My tip is use tape for machine and glue for hand stitching.

Thanks. I only hand stitch and I don't plan on changing that.

[Dwight]

I found a long time ago that the most dangerous part of zipper installation is the direction it is sewn.

I usually use example # 1 as it allows me to continue my sewing (sometimes at least) around the one end, without stopping, . . . it is a continuous sewing path.

# 2 works well also, . . . the way of course I generally sew chaps.

# 3 will work on chaps, . . . or something like that, . . . but if you use this sewing pattern on a billfold, a purse, a jacket, . . . you will often wind up with a zipper that looks like it was not put in correctly.

And since I sew almost exclusively by machine, . . . they are always contact cemented in place before I start the first stitch. But even there, . . . sometimes, depending on the material, the cement has been known to come loose, . . .

Zippers look good when done and done right, . . . but the can be a pain. More than anything else, . . . take your time.

May God bless,

Dwight

[MonicaJacobson]

So... is this a legitimate way to put in a zipper? I'm doing a two piece gusset - bottom and sides are one piece, and the top, containing the zipper, is the last piece.

[Dwight]

If I understand you correctly, . . . looks good to me.

The stitching around the back of the zipper end is for me one of the most important parts, . . . as an unbroken line of stitches will keep it all together and from shifting around.

Show us the finished project when you get it done.

May God bless,

Dwight

[MonicaJacobson]

Okay, yes, the back is the same as the front - I just cut out a place for it, like installing a pocket zipper. It seemed the cleanest way of doing it to me, though it might not open as wide as other ways of installing it.

I'll be interested to see how it turns out, too. I've never done a zipper bag before, or a gusset of this kind.

[thefanninator]

Looks great to me Monica!