How to Sew an Invisible Zipper

Whether you missed out on home ec, need help with basic home sewing, or want to create your own custom couture garments, inserting a zipper into a garment is an important sewing skill. A well finished zipper is almost invisible, and this technique for inserting and hand sewing a zipper is easy, produces a much more finished looking garment than a machine sewn zipper, and is easier to control than sewing by machine.

In most sewing patterns, inserting the zipper is one of the early steps. It is much easier to sew a zipper on two small back pieces than on a whole garment, especially once the sides are sewn and the sleeves attached. These instructions will help you to create a centered, hidden zipper with a high end finished look for the final garment. It uses a combination of machine and hand sewing techniques and will work on most patterns for home sewing.

Prepare the Garment for Zipper Insertion

Mark the garment pieces with chalk on the wrong side where the ends of the zipper will lie. Using the longest stitch length possible on the machine, machine sew the opening closed, matching and sewing along the seam allowances. Press the seam open and flat.

Place and Baste the Zipper

Unzip the zipper. Place half the zipper along the inside of the garment, pull tab facing out, matching the teeth to the seam line created by stitching the opening in the first step. Centering the teeth along the seam line will guarantee a centered zipper. Hand baste the first half of the zipper in place. Close the zipper and baste the second half of the zipper in place.

Sew the Zipper

The next step is to hand stitch the zipper to the garment using a modified back stitch. Start by securing your thread at the top end of the zipper. Move the needle about ¼ inch down the zipper and through the zipper and the fabric, about ¼" from the teeth of the zipper. Bring the needle back through the fabric and zipper, 1/16" or just a few threads closer to the top of the zipper. Continue to sew down the length of the zipper, moving ¼"down and 1/16" back with each stitch. There will be visible stitches on the inside of the garment and tiny 1/16" stitches barely visible on the outside.

Once you reach the bottom of the zipper, stitch across and then up the other side. Make sure the extra zipper tape at the top is sewed in place as well.

Remove the Basting Threads

Using a small pair of embroidery scissors, clip and pull out the hand basting threads holding the zipper in place. Use a seam ripper to carefully remove the long machine stitches holding the seam closed over the zipper, going slowly to avoid tearing the fabric. If your garment is unlined, then zipper installation is complete!

Optional: Sew the Lining in Place

If the garment is lined, then press the seam allowance for the lining under. Using whip stitch or hem stitch, sew the edge of the lining to the zipper for a finished look.