ALL ZIPPED UP
Q I’ve found a jacket pattern that I’d love to make but it involves sewing in a zip which I have never done before. Can you walk me through it? Jasmine Pickford, Watford
The first thing you want to consider is finding the right zip – it should be a similar weight or slightly lighter than your knitted fabric, and those with larger and smoother teeth work best for knitwear as your stitches won’t get caught. Your zip should also be exactly the same length as your garment’s front bands so it will hang straight. Complete any sewing up or finishing on your garment, and wash and block it carefully. Now, with the zip closed, pin and sew one side at a time, making sure that neither the fabric or the zip are pulled unnaturally.
Set the fabric edges alongside the teeth, ensuring there’s space for the zip to run smoothly without catching on stitches. Place pins at the top and bottom of the zip first, facing towards the zip and making sure that the ends are level.
Pin the centre of the zip with the band on both sides, then work in sections, pinning between the pins until the remainder is pinned in place.
4 Thread your sewing needle, preferably with a thread that matches your yarn colour (if your zip is a different shade). 5 Beginning at the bottom of the zip, insert your needle from the wrong side to the right side, pull through, and insert the needle back through the zip and the fabric, about 5mm in front of where you came up. 6 Push the needle back into the fabric and the zip, about 5mm in front of the last stitch, then push the needle back through at the place the last stitch ends.
7 Pin and sew the second side in the same way as the first, matching any stripes or patterns, beginning at the bottom and working in the same direction to ensure the bottom of the zip meets neatly when closed. 8 Once both sides have been sewn, turn your project inside out so that the wrong side is facing. Fold the fabric part of the zip back towards the WS on a diagonal and stitch securely in place, then work a slip stitch along the outside edge of the zip to keep it laying flat. Faye