Re: How To Sew An Exposed Skirt Zipper
Sofie Kovalcheck
I also had some issues with my serger and threads snapping so the back turned out a smidge shorter than I would have liked. On the bright side, I chose to install a partially exposed zip instead of the normal zip instructed by the pattern and love the result. It pops on an otherwise simple A-line skirt. Here are some tutorials I found particularly for sewing an exposed zip:
And if you like my zipper, I recommend this seller on Etsy for finding zippers of your desired length and color. I bought this zipper as part of a pack of five for five bucks, and it feels pretty sturdy!
There is an unexplained excitement that happens in my mind as I think of a type of garment I would love to have and instead of scouring for the pattern that is exactly what is in my mind, I create it by using a pattern I already have and/or mashing up patterns. This process is so much FUN.
This pattern is designed for knit fabrics, medium weight with at least 40% stretch such as interlock, french terry, liverpool, ponte, and scuba. All the styles feature knee and midi length and as optional features: inseam pockets and a control panel in the waistband.
For the following steps: waistband, zipper and hem construction, check out the video I put together for you using red ponte and a black zipper. You can come back to this blog post to re-watch until you can sew zippers in your sleep.
The center piece of Margot peplum matches the center panel of the skirt EXACTLY for both front and back as shown here. Obviously, the bodice center pieces are meant to be cut on the fold, hence we see only half here. The center panel of the skirt is one full pattern piece. I have marked a line in the center to show they match.
For the lateral panels of the gored skirt, some small adjustments needed to be made in order to match the bodice front and back lateral pieces. I decided to modify the skirt pieces rather than make the bodice pieces wider. Here we can see a mark for where the front and back lateral pieces of the bodice are in relation to the lateral panel of the gored skirt.
While constructing the dress, I tapered the lateral panels to match the bodice pieces and that was all it took. I played with the direction of the stripes and enjoyed stripe matching as much as possible, especially at the princess seams. I made the center panels have horizontal stripes and the lateral panels have vertical stripes. I am very happy with this dress!
There we have it friends! Some ideas for you and I hope you give them a go. Please lookout because I will be sharing another dress in the facebook group very soon! This time I will use the bodice of the Tessa sheath dress with the dropped yoke skirt that is also part of this collection. Did you know the bodice of the Tessa sheath has been designed to match ALL the skirts from the Sybil collection?! So many more options and they have me SEW excited. Until next time, happy sewing XX.
Please welcome Deb back to the blog. She has stopped by before with her favorite pattern, her Flat S visit, and she hosted one day of the School Days Jacket sew-along. Now she is here to give a book report on the Book Report Dress or how to add exposed zippers on welt pockets. Thanks Deb!
The first time I tried exposed zippers on this pattern, I made a ton of errors. The first mistake was constructing the dress front and shirt front as two pieces as per the pattern and not making it one piece. Having a seam in the middle created extra seam allowances, unwanted fraying and bulk. Not good. Especially when using thicker fabric.
I find it really easy to use a fabric glue stick or sticky washable sewing tape (like Wonder Tape) to hold zippers in place before stitching. I also find it easier to apply the tape, or glue on the wrong side of the pockets opening and not on the zipper tape itself because the fabric opening can be easily manipulated.
The photo below is showing the wrong side of the dress. The left side pocket in the photo shows the zipper stuck in place (face side down) and the right side pocket with the glue tape in place ready for the next zipper.
Please welcome Jen as she shares her tutorial to modify the Sandbridge Skirt to be a full zip down skirt. I absolutely love this hack, and I think it works perfectly with a tank top for summer and a cardigan and booties for fall!
The Sandbridge Skirt was immediately something I knew was missing from my wardrobe. I have made the pattern once already exactly to the pattern instructions and I have been wearing it all summer. After browsing for some denim skirt inspiration, I found an image of a full zip jean skirt with patch pockets from Madewell that I definitely wanted to recreate. The Madewell skirt is no longer available for purchase.
To create the patch pocket, I used pattern piece #13, the front pocket bag, as a guide. I folded it in half to get the approximate width of my desired patch pocket. Then I cut out two pieces of denim, mirrored, around the pattern piece. I extended the length of the pocket as much as I could with my limited amount of fabric.
After I had my pockets attached, I sewed the Back pieces and yoke pieces together as the pattern detailed. Then I basted all of my pieces together to check the fit. I found some gaping at the back yoke so I took it in at the top of the center back seam until it fit closer to my body. I expect the rigid denim to relax with wear.
The zipper is a metal heavy jacket zipper. I wanted something that was a separating zipper and would be very strong. I installed the zipper according to the zipper instructions and topstitched along each side.
For this version of the Arielle skirt, I got it in my head that I wanted to do an exposed zip instead of buttons. It was challenging to conceptualize so I just went for it without any firm plans. Sewing the zip to the right front was easy, I just sandwiched it between the facing and main fabric when I sewed them together. Figuring out to the left front was more challenging as I wanted a placket under the zip to protect the tights I will invariably be wearing from the zip teeth.
An exposed zipper is a cool functional way to add design details to you garment. I love how this skirt puts the exposed zip in the front, running all the way from the waist to the hem. Combined with a metallic brocade fabric, this mini skirt is perfect for a night out on the town. Read on to see how I would DIY it.
Step 3: For the fabric, I found this great metallic brocade from Mood. Using a flashy material in a smaller garment like a mini skirt is a great way to highlight something special without overwhelming.
Your roomy and beautiful pattern envelope includes the full-size pattern on high-quality tissue paper and an instruction booklet with detailed instructions to guide you through constructing your garment.
After purchase, your patterns will be available immediately in your online account, and via a unique URL emailed to you. Ensure that you save your pattern to your computer before printing to save it for future use. PDF patterns cannot be opened on phones or tablets.
This pattern is well made and the instructions are well-written. I made the below-the-knee version in a medium blue linen fabric. I added several inches to the length as I am quite tall, aand reduced the fullness in the skirt by 3-4 inches, while retaining the A-line shaping. I used an invisible zipper rather than the exposed zipper. I love the big pockets!
Skirt sewn in a linen fabric in one afternoon. I lengthened 4 cm and put an elastic only in the back. I made the topstitching in the back and the front for a better fall. Th pattern size is good. Very satisfied with the result.
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