Conquering My Fear of Zippers

I used to be terrified of zippers.

And when I told you I was terrified, I really was. The idea of having to attach zippers on my project is just too unbearable. I first learned about zippers when I started learning how to sew and I started from clothes, so the variation of the zipper position is not that much – mostly straight lines. Easy peasy – I thought.

Even so, back then it was still terrifying me (a little bit less than when I started making bags tho) because you have to really think about where to attach the zipper and how to attach it. You may look at the simple zipper on your clothes and think "Ah, just a simple straight sewing line, what's to complain about?" – well, I have a bad news because it is not that simple. Sewing zipper requires a lot of planning (at least for me) because you will have to think it backwards. The attached zipper that you see on your clothes/bags are the final result of thinking backwards – there are a lot of turning the fabric in and out; or upside down; or both.

A common mistake when working with zipper is that you attach it the wrong way. Either inside out, or upside down – or both 🤣 There were times when I finally went through the pain of having to sew the lines very close to the edge and realize that the zipper head was on the inside of the bag. Wow, very smart, Keke. As an illustration, I used to work with fixed zippers like this. It has a certain decided length (even though you can always cut the unused part if you need to shorten it). The head is already attached there, so there's no way that I could have any mistake in attaching it into the fabric – because there's nothing I could do to move the zipper head once I attach it the wrong way.

Not to mention the centricity – most times you have to be very precise when attaching zipper because it is functioned as a closing element into something, so when you missed even a several inch, then the effect is that your project won't be properly closed! It's such an essential component of a sewing project.

As much as I hate zippers, I can't just running away from it forever. Especially now that I am working with bags, zipper is such a secure option to close your bag – something that most people prefer over buttons or other components. I was then determined to learn; step by step; on how to work with it in peace – not with fears as I've been doing all these times. That's when I was introduced to detachable zipper system – thanks to my dear husband that brought it home from his studio.

To put it simply, a detachable zipper system is the type of zipper that has a detachable zipper head, so you can sew the zipper line in peace – without worrying too much about where the head is. With this detachable system, not only that you don't need to worry about attaching the zipper inside out (because it's reversible), you can also sew the zipper flap worry-free because there will be no bulge of zipper head you'll need to navigate. Previously with fixed zipper system, the ends of the zipper is usually the most challenging part because the head is there and you can't just detach it – you have to navigate your sewing foot around the head and just pray for the best. Most times, my sewing lines usually got screwed anywhere near the zipper head position because my sewing foot is just too big and its movement will not be that flexible with the head near it.

Another bonus point is that this type of zipper comes in a long form like this, uncut, so you can just cut exactly the length that you need. No more wasting functional zipper because the length is too long for your project.

On the same project as above, I also learned how to create a peek-zipper. This is the kind of zipper that has hidden flap inside, so it looks as if it is peeking from the inside of the pocket. The mechanism was quite challenging at first, I had to sew veryyy very close to the edge and very very tidy on the outside because the outer part will be very exposed, so crazy lines will be very noticeable. 

Another big win was to crack the mechanism to have exposed zipper at a totebag like this. It was such a simple mechanism, something that I feel stupid about for never thought about it before hahaha. Turns out, you can always hide zipper in so many ways and I am eager to find even more moving forward.

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So turns out, there are lots of ways to work with zippers without excessive fears and anxiety. I feel like discovering ways to work with zipper like this really unlock something inside of me – I realize that there's always answers to any kind of questions. You just have to be persistent in finding them.