Zippers in bias-cut skirts

Tigsnona scrawled in bright red lipstick:

try wonder tape and or a walking foot

Those help, but it's the fitting and measuring before you get that far that realy make the difference.

Ah! What you need is my 'How to rescue a bias cut disaster!' page! :) If you hit the URL below and look in Kate's Sewing Room, you will find it. I used light weight concealed zips, put in exactly like a skirt zip. There are 'Before' and 'After' pix. Have a good look, and then shout if you need anything clarified. BTW, you will need a friend to help you fit the zip opening.

Hi

Use a longer zip.

Best wishes

Lynne.

I used a zip 2 inches longer than the opening. I have now discovered that inserting zips into bias-cut skirts is regarded as very difficult

- a professional fashion designer says she tries never to design bias-cut skirts or dresses requiring zips. No wonder I had problems!

TigsNona

Personal experience dictates that it is no more difficult than sewing clouds together! ;P

Actually, I don't find them any more difficult than putting zips in straight cut things, but you do have to remember the golden rules:

Use the right weight of zip for the fabric!

PIN the opening closed ON THE BODY and MEASURE the CLOSED opening before inserting the zip.

STABILIZE the zip opening to this measurement: baste the zip in and try the garment on again.

Sew the zip in neatly, by hand or machine, and remember that concealed zips look better in bias cut garments.

I carried out ALL of the above. The lightest-weight nylon zip was of course NOT the same weight as the sheer - no zips in retail notions or haberdashery stores are available that light. I did pin the closed opening on my body - and had my daughter check everything. I then measured it and stabilized the opening with very light-weight stabilizer. I hand-sewed the zip in. The zip was just over 1 inch longer than the opening. I did all these steps three times and I could not get rid of the bulge at the bottom of the zip!

I then removed the zip and carefully sewed the opening closed. Hey presto, bulge all gone!

My personal opinion (for what it's worth) is that no zip available to home dressmakers is light enough to cope with material the weight of chiffon or a very light polyester sheer. Such zippers may be produced for fashion houses - but as I said, the designers I contacted said they try very hard not to design clothes involving sheer fabrics cut on the bias using zips. If they experience such difficulty with them, what show have I?

TigsNona

Try contacting the zip manufacturers: ask them where you can get these zips. Sometimes they will sell you one if they have some in stock. Some manufacturers will even make zips to order.

Thanks Kate - it's a nice suggestion, but I live in New Zealand and all invisible zips are imported here. Most zips are as well - or the better quality ones. The only zip manufacturer we have makes quite heavyweight zips (perhaps for outdoorsy type clothes) that are really unsuitable for anything but heavy outdoors or winter clothes.

If the designers here cannot access zips of the correct weight and/or consider the procedure of inserting zips into bias skirts difficult, then I think I just might have to give up on them. I can find other styles that are simpler to construct - but I do like the flow of bias-cut garments. TigsNona

No need, just use a different closure, like in-pocket or open placket (especially on something like a chiffon overdress) or floating snaps or small hooks and eyes...

Kay Lancaster snipped-for-privacy@fern.com

'floating snaps' sound interesting, can you elaborate? Liz

Sew the female half of the snap down, per usual. Sew the male half of the snap down by only one of the four little sewing holes... in fact, you can make a thread shank between the garment and one sewn hole on the male half, sort of like a miniature french tack. This allows the snap to close, but the shank portion allows the two sides to move easily relative to each other. AKA "chinese snap", sometimes used at the top of a dress zipper.

You can also cover the snap halves with very lightweight silk, and they're then even less noticeable.

Kay

I like these ideas - and in fact thought that when I was at my wit's end with the third attempt with the zipper, I might simply overlay one of the seams and attach tiny hooks and eyes.

This sort of closure would be much better anywhere where sheers are being used I feel. TigsNona