Zippers, no-see-um, and more - Need your help

**samjaynes** · 02-23-2011, 16:43

Just received my package of 8 yards of #3 coil zipper, 8 yards of no-see-um, dual sided pulls, stops, and some grosgrain - and I am ready... ready to scratch my head on where to start.

What is the best approach on apply a zipper (any any sewing foots needed)? Seeing that the edges are already hemmed, it would appear that there is going to be a least 3 stitched along this side (one away from the zipper, and one close to the teeth, right)? Do you use grosgrain on the zipper side of the hammock? I have 7/8" grosgrain which I will attempt to fold in half, and sew.

Next, after this amazing feet of installing a zipper... do you recommend any articles of installing the pulls (one or more on the same zipper), and the stops. I have seen a couple designs where they have placed triangle pockets at the end of the zipper. Is this more for cosemetics, or preventing the pull of the zipper to the bottom.

No-see-um - this stuff is amazing. Fabric appears very stretchy and I was wondering if you have any tips on sewing this fabric. Do you use a certain type of seam? With the mesh nature of it, is stitch length a concern?

Thanks guys - I am hoping to finish my Hennesey DIY and WBBB DIY with your assistance.

**rjcress** · 02-23-2011, 16:47

I could cobble together a description of how I did these things, but you'll be far better off to look in the sticky section of this forum for RamblinRev's gear making tutorial series.
I'm pretty sure all of your questions will be answered very efficiently by watching a few of his short videos.

**Ramblinrev** · 02-23-2011, 16:58

You need to have a zipper foot for your machine. The process of installing the zipper varies upon the application. Sometimes you can just line the hem up with the zipper teeth leaving a small gap to make sure the slider doesn't catch. To install the slider simply run the teeth through the slider slots, similar to the way you would start a separating zipper. It takes some getting used to but it is not difficult. To install the slider when the teeth are already meshed push the teeth into the small end of the slider and pull the fabric apart as you push the slider done. Not hard.... just fussy.

I did a vid on installing a zipper but the quality is really bad. However the talk through has been helpful for some people.

**samjaynes** · 02-23-2011, 17:21

Originally Posted by Ramblinrev

You need to have a zipper foot for your machine. The process of installing the zipper varies upon the application. Sometimes you can just line the hem up with the zipper teeth leaving a small gap to make sure the slider doesn't catch. To install the slider simply run the teeth through the slider slots, similar to the way you would start a separating zipper. It takes some getting used to but it is not difficult. To install the slider when the teeth are already meshed push the teeth into the small end of the slider and pull the fabric apart as you push the slider done. Not hard.... just fussy.

I did a vid on installing a zipper but the quality is really bad. However the talk through has been helpful for some people.

Thanks Rev, I will have to find that one. I have watched most of them, and don't recall a zipper one.

Typically, do most people put two pulls on their zippers?

**samjaynes** · 02-23-2011, 17:22

Originally Posted by rjcress

I could cobble together a description of how I did these things, but you'll be far better off to look in the sticky section of this forum for RamblinRev's gear making tutorial series.
I'm pretty sure all of your questions will be answered very efficiently by watching a few of his short videos.

Thanks - just curious on the edge used when attaching the zipper... is the standard a hemmed edge, and finished grosgrain edge, or raw.

**Ramblinrev** · 02-23-2011, 17:29

There is no "standard". It depends on the application and when the zipper is installed.

**GvilleDave** · 02-23-2011, 18:01

I find that my zipper installation is easy with a standard foot on my machine - that's a good thing because I only have a standard zig zag foot... Maybe a zipper foot would be better but this worked for me and I never bought a zipper foot to try.

I start by installing the pulls onto the zipper coil. I then sew the zipper coil onto my roll hemmed ripstop (no grossgrain). I am careful to make sure my RS edge does not cover the teeth to prevent snags. After the RS is attached to the coil I pin the other side of the coil to the roll hemmed edge of my noseeum. By pinning the noseeum to the zipper before I separate the zipper halves I ensure that the zipper will allign after it is sewed to the noseeum. I have tried it with out pinning the noseeum and have had a tendancy to stretch the noseeum as I sewed and ended up with a bunch of extra noseeum at the far end of the hammock. The pins keep everything indexed and prevent me from stretching. This is one of the few things I still pin in advance... Both on the RS and on the noseeum I make 2 stitch lines. The first run I have a "point" of my presser foot on top of the zipper teeth which puts the stitch about a 1/4" from the teeth. The 2nd pass I put the foot against the edge of the zipper and this puts the 2nd stitch line right at the outside edge of the zipper fabric.

All in all the hardest part for me was the stretch of the noseeum. Go slow and keep everything alligned and you'll be fine. Worst case you get to practice with your seam ripper!

**MAD777** · 02-23-2011, 19:44

Thank you Dave for the walk-thru of the zipper installation. I needed that as a confidence builder as I start soon on my first hammock.

**samjaynes** · 02-23-2011, 20:14

Originally Posted by GvilleDave

I find that my zipper installation is easy with a standard foot on my machine - that's a good thing because I only have a standard zig zag foot... Maybe a zipper foot would be better but this worked for me and I never bought a zipper foot to try.

I start by installing the pulls onto the zipper coil. I then sew the zipper coil onto my roll hemmed ripstop (no grossgrain). I am careful to make sure my RS edge does not cover the teeth to prevent snags. After the RS is attached to the coil I pin the other side of the coil to the roll hemmed edge of my noseeum. By pinning the noseeum to the zipper before I separate the zipper halves I ensure that the zipper will allign after it is sewed to the noseeum. I have tried it with out pinning the noseeum and have had a tendancy to stretch the noseeum as I sewed and ended up with a bunch of extra noseeum at the far end of the hammock. The pins keep everything indexed and prevent me from stretching. This is one of the few things I still pin in advance... Both on the RS and on the noseeum I make 2 stitch lines. The first run I have a "point" of my presser foot on top of the zipper teeth which puts the stitch about a 1/4" from the teeth. The 2nd pass I put the foot against the edge of the zipper and this puts the 2nd stitch line right at the outside edge of the zipper fabric.

All in all the hardest part for me was the stretch of the noseeum. Go slow and keep everything alligned and you'll be fine. Worst case you get to practice with your seam ripper!

Thanks for your feedback - I was watching Rev's video on zippers, and he sewed the zipper facedown and then rolled the fabric over. Have you tried this following your steps? Rev, thanks again for your videos. Great work.

I have a zipper foot, so I most likely wont need to place the presser foot on the zipper.

BTW - still curious if two pulls are a good rule of thumb?

**Ramblinrev** · 02-23-2011, 20:45

The reason a zipper foot is preferred is because the edge of it runs right along the outside edge of the teeth or coil. It folds the fabric down better and it is easier to keep the fabric from snagging in the zipper because the stitch line is 1/16 - 1/8" away from the teeth. Less flop to get caught.

A regular foot can be used but it does not produce as good a result IMO.

I laid the zipper face down and turned the fabric because I was making a hem at the same time. The edges lined up with the zipper tape were raw edges. With a finished edge such as you were talking about I would have lined the existing hem with the teeth or coil and simple sewed the zipper on. As I said, the installation process depends on the application.

If you want to be able to open the zipper from both ends/inside and out, then two double tab sliders are required. They face away from each other. You can put two sliders on facing each other and the sliders will meet in the middle but allow either half to open by itself. If you only care about a one way zipper then only one slider is used as two would conflict with each other. It's all about the application.