grann of 6

I was an apparel sewer all my life, turned to home dec for a number of years, and sewing for other people. I now sew for the joy of it, making quilts, zippers are not part of that joy. I was so good at zippers that no pins and they were in the first try. But zippers, partial seams, and curved seams are not in my vocabulary any more.

Rhonda K

MK,

I haven't done those yet but they are my projects list.

This may help with the how-to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvwGld4Y5xc

GingerK

I make a lot of bags and always try to include one zippered pocket. They don't scare me anymore. I refuse to replace zippers in jeans. I have replaced a couple of beloved jacket zippers with the cutting off the old teeth method. Doable but I'm not advertising my ability--even to my family!

juliasb

Zippers don't bother me one way or the other. I can insert a zipper with fair ease. My clothing making days helped me to prefect the techniques. I was at a point were I loved invisible zippers for dresses. Nylon zippers made the biggest change in zippers when they came out. That happened in my early teens. I confess I did not like the feel of metal zippers in a dress. I have a good collection of zippers ready to use whenever I need one. My clothing making days are pretty much over now and I keep telling myself I am going to make bags someday but I have not gotten around to that kind of a project yet. Quilting is the majority of my time with my sewing machine right now.

SusieQOH

I agree! I was never a big clothes maker but I did some especially when my sons were little. The prices are crazy. For all that money and work I'd much rather be quilting.

JuneBillie

I don't mind putting in zippers in bags or blouses, but I don't like working with denim. They are hard on my hands.

quiltingcandy

When I was young I sewed a lot of my clothes - being 5'9" in high school in late 60's, early 70's you would have thought I was 7 ft tall. So to get slacks to the right length was hard. We weren't allowed to wear jeans but I would buy boys' dress slacks once in a while with 29 waist and and 34 inseam. My dad was 6 ft and his legs were the same length as mine. So I had to sew - my zippers were the old style with the flap over the zipper. When they came out with the invisible zipper they just didn't make sense to me. Then along came the reading pillows - I them. Can't seem to make enough of them - so cute and so fun. I had not put in a zipper in over 40 years. But my friend pushed me to do it - and I did the old style. But then my daughter's friend wanted a few pillows made and she brought invisible zippers. Oh dear, okay. I Got the special invisible zipper foot and it was just so easy!!!! Why am I such a chicken.
I still don't sew clothes - just cheaper to buy. But I don't shy away from zippers anymore. I still need to try to make the little bags - but too much keeps getting in the way.

Quiltah Mama

I have never sewn a zipper, but have made many a bags I would have liked to put one in. I would like to learn, and my feeling is, a zipper is something I would need to learn in a class, not on a youtube video. But if I never learn, it's not the end of the world, making bags is a really small part of the sewing I do.

Chasing Hawk

I would rather put a zipper in than make button holes.

SusieQOH

I think zippers are easier to work with for things like totes, than say, jeans.
I would never try to fix a jeans zipper, no way.

CH- my new Bernina makes buttonholes amazingly. I don't really do much. It does it all.