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02.06 How to Sew a Zipper Pocket

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This tutorial will show you how to attach a zipper without showing the zipper tape. This requires a lining on the inside of the pocket.

Prerequisites

To complete this tutorial you should be familiar with How to Attach Fusible Interfacing

Instructions

Zippers are a great way to finish off a pocket but often instructions to add a zipper to a pocket leave the zipper tape exposed on the inside of the pocket. This tutorial shows how to have the zipper tape completely concealed on the inside of the pocket bag. It also uses French seams on the pocket bag. You could also use a serger to finish the raw edges of the pocket bag.

Parts Needed

  • Zipper
  • Pocket Bag Fabric
  • Pocket Facing with Matching interfacing
  • One more piece of Interfacing
  • Garment Fabric

Steps

  1. Press the interfacing on the wrong side of the pocket facing with an iron, remember to lift and press the iron rather than dragging the iron so you do not distort the shape of the fabric
  2. Press the other piece of interfacing on the wrong side of the garment piece where you want the pocket to be
  3. Draw a box the size of the metal part of the zipper centered on the interfacing on the garment piece
  4. Measure up and down ~1/4" from the center mark to make the box for a 5mm zipper
  5. Line up the pocket facing with the right side against the right side of the garment piece with the interfacing pieces perfectly aligned
  6. Stitch the top and bottom lines of the box, pivot at the corners, shorten stitch length going into the corners, it is not necessary to stitch the full box, you can skip the short sides
  7. Trim open the the pocket opening with your shears along the center line
  8. Clip into the corners at an angle but do not clip the stitching
  9. Press the facing toward the middle along the stitched seams
  10. Understitch the facing to the seam allowances to help turn and press the facing
  11. Turn the facing to the other side and press smooth and flat
  12. Secure the opening end of the zipper by stitching the zipper tape together
  13. Place the zipper in the center
  14. Using the zipper foot, stitch along the edge of the pocket opening into the zipper tape
  15. When you get the the zipper pull, leave the needle down, lift the presser foot and move the pull past the zipper
  16. Stitch the pocket bag to the zipper tape on the bottom part of the pocket, with right side of fabric against zipper tape
  17. Press the pocket bag back and top stitch on the zipper tape
  18. Fold the pocket bag up and stitch the sides closed
  19. Then stitch the top closed along the cut seam allowance of the facing, catching the zipper tape at the top
  20. Finish the raw edges of the fabric with a serger

Further Reading