How to Sew An Invisible Zipper

Does the thought of an invisible zipper frighten you? This blog will show you how to sew an invisible zipper using several options.  At the end you’ll see there is no need to be frightened or even mildly scared of the invisible zipper.

Supplies Needed To Sew An Invisible Zipper

Invisible zippers are often used in skirts, trousers and dresses.  These zippers are used when you truly want your zipper to disappear into the seams of your garment.  Invisible zippers can also be used to make accessories but they really are not strong enough to handle that type of use and abuse.

On a regular all purpose zipper, the zipper teeth and pull are clearly visible on the right side of the tape.  Conversely, on an invisible zipper, the pull is visible on the right side while the teeth are visible on the wrong side of the zipper tape.  

Prepare The Fabric

Finish the raw edges of your fabric.  Place the two strips of lightweight fusible interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric.  Zippered seams see a lot of action so you want to reinforce them before you insert the zipper.  

Press the interfacing to your fabric using the manufacturer’s instructions or a hot iron.   The tape of the invisible zipper is ½” wide so you can use this measurement as your seam allowance. 

Mark a ½” seam allowance from the top of your fabric to the bottom.  Repeat on the other side.  Next, make a mark for where you want the zipper to start and stop.  

Prepare The Zipper

Unlike the regular zipper, the invisible zipper teeth coil slightly inward and will need to be ironed flat prior to sewing.  When you unzip the zipper, the teeth have a tendency to curl back towards the zipper tape.  

To prevent this from happening, you should iron the zipper teeth and tape flat with a semi hot iron.  Keep the iron on the zipper teeth just long enough to release the tension so that you can sew the zipper onto your garment. 

If you leave the iron on the zipper teeth for too long, you will melt the teeth making the zipper useless.

Baste And Sew The Zipper

With your fabric facing right side up and the right side of the zipper facing down, match up the edge of your fabric and zipper tape.  The zipper teeth should be facing the interior of your fabric.  

Unlike a regular zipper insertion, each side of the invisible zipper tape is attached to the fabric before you finish the rest of the seam.

Next, baste or pin the zipper to the fabric between your start and stop marks.  For best results, use an invisible zipper foot to sew an invisible zipper.  

The invisible zipper foot has a groove on the underside that rides on top of the zipper teeth.  As the zipper foot advances, the foot glides easily over the zipper teeth.  

Additionally, the nose of the zipper foot separates the teeth from the tape leaving a thin strip for you to sew on.  Sew the length of your zipper.  Repeat for the other side. 

To finish the rest of the seam, change back to the regular zipper foot.  Sew from the bottom of the seam to just past the end of the zipper.  

Be extra careful at this junction as you can cause puckering if you capture too much seam allowance.  

Can You Sew An Invisible Zipper With A Regular Foot

You can definitely sew an invisible zipper with a regular sewing foot.  This option takes just a little bit of patience, practice and the ability to adjust the sideways motion of your needle.  

You will prepare the fabric and zipper as above ensuring that the zipper teeth and tape are completely flat.  You will then sew the zipper exactly on the exposed line being extra careful not to catch any of the teeth.  

Can You Hand Sew An Invisible Zipper 

If the idea of sewing an invisible zipper on a sewing machine is just too harrowing a task for you to contemplate, you can always sew the zipper by hand.  After following the steps above, you will use a double threaded needle to make tiny backstitches exactly on the exposed line of the flattened zipper.  

The chances of accidentally sewing the zipper teeth by hand are slim to none.  

Do You Topstitch An Invisible Zipper

Do not topstitch an invisible zipper.  The point of the invisible zipper is for it to completely disappear within the seam without a line of stitching. 

Conclusion

Now that you know how to sew an invisible zipper, which option will you use first?  Which one will be your go-to?  Happy sewing!