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Moderated by EleanorSews
Posted on: 10/3/13 8:56 PM ET
I just almost finished my first a-line skirt using the Craftsy class. Everything is going great actually except for one major problem. The zipper can not pass through a bulky seam. It is stuck.
This is where the bulk comes from:
yoked skirt- yoke is interfaced, skirt is underlined with muslin (skirt is quilting cotton) and I used piping on the yoke seam. Then there is the facing. Oh- and I ended up having to use binding to finish the raw edge on the facing- although I actually think that is no more bulky than if I had folded the fabric under and hemmed.
I was able to clip out the piping and that had resolved it until I sewed on the facing. There are just so many layers now the zipper can not budge from the seam.
The only deviations from the pattern were the underlining and the piping. But that shouldn't really matter considering she showed skirts with much thicker fabric with the invisible zip.
Can I safely grade the seam allowance behind the fabric tape- i.e. the seam allowance that the zipper is sewn onto.? I will have to fix the overcasting stitches but that is no big deal. Just don't want to do anything that might jeopardize the skirt- I love it and don't have any more of this fabric.
Thanks for your advice!
Edited to add: I just noticed that the piping next to the zipper is starting to fray already. DId I sew the zipper to close to the teeth?
-- Edited on 10/3/13 8:58 PM --
This is where the bulk comes from:
yoked skirt- yoke is interfaced, skirt is underlined with muslin (skirt is quilting cotton) and I used piping on the yoke seam. Then there is the facing. Oh- and I ended up having to use binding to finish the raw edge on the facing- although I actually think that is no more bulky than if I had folded the fabric under and hemmed.
I was able to clip out the piping and that had resolved it until I sewed on the facing. There are just so many layers now the zipper can not budge from the seam.
The only deviations from the pattern were the underlining and the piping. But that shouldn't really matter considering she showed skirts with much thicker fabric with the invisible zip.
Can I safely grade the seam allowance behind the fabric tape- i.e. the seam allowance that the zipper is sewn onto.? I will have to fix the overcasting stitches but that is no big deal. Just don't want to do anything that might jeopardize the skirt- I love it and don't have any more of this fabric.
Thanks for your advice!
Edited to add: I just noticed that the piping next to the zipper is starting to fray already. DId I sew the zipper to close to the teeth?
-- Edited on 10/3/13 8:58 PM --
Member since 2/4/08
Posts: 1060
Posts: 1060
Australian Capital Territory Australia
Skill: Intermediate
Skill: Intermediate
Posted on: 10/3/13 9:41 PM ET
If the zip will not move it is likely that you sewed over the teeth at some point. It only takes one thread in the way to stop all movement. Have a close look and see if you can find a stray thread.
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Tracy, Canberra
Janome 7700QCP, Janome 4618QC, Husky S25 overlock/coverstitch
Janome 7700QCP, Janome 4618QC, Husky S25 overlock/coverstitch
Posted on: 10/3/13 10:45 PM ET
I once had this same problem with a skirt that had a yoke.I could then solve the problem by cutting out little squares every seam that crossed the zip.ask yourself the question if there can be done more .perhaps you could fix some of the layer sin another way to the zipper. Perhaps some other trics with the piping
Posted on: 10/3/13 10:46 PM ET
Double
-- Edited on 10/3/13 10:46 PM --
-- Edited on 10/3/13 10:46 PM --
Posted on: 10/4/13 4:01 AM ET
In reply to determined
Along the line Red Dragon posted...check to see if while maybe ironing near the zipper...maybe a few teeth were melted. Or...where the seam is bulky...maybe there is some fabric puffed up (can't think of how to describe it) too close to the zip teeth so it's stopping at that point. Can you post a pic?
Posted on: 10/4/13 8:32 AM ET
The thickness of the materials shouldn't effect your zipper operation. Something is interfering with the teeth and the pull. Get some good magnifying glasses and have a good look as you pull up the zipper.
Posted on: 10/4/13 4:13 PM ET
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. My husband studied it last night and said that the facing was pulling into the zip as it went up, which makes sense since it stopped zipping after I attached the facing. So I will start by redoing (by hand this time) the bottom part of the facing that is the problem and see if that helps. With a bit of luck I might be able to do my first review this weekend
Posted on: 10/7/13 12:15 PM ET
I mostly resolved the zipper. In the end I picked out the facing and zipper on the side with the fraying piping down to just below the yoke where the problem started. Because the piping was fraying I clipped it off a bit and sewed the edge closed. Then I reattached the zipper using a regular zipper foot instead of a hidden zipper foot so there would be a millimeter or two extra space along the zipper. Reattached the facing and it is working. It's not perfect because the piping on the other side still rolls over a bit but it does zip up and down. It's just that the one side above the yoke is no longer a perfectly hidden zipper and the piping stops just next to the zipper. I am quite sure no one (except maybe other sewists) will ever notice- I know and it bothers me because I worked so hard, but it is really quite minor and the skirt looks nice otherwise.
So what I figured out in all of this is that I should either press the zipper open and use a regular zipper foot, or not press it open and use the hidden zipper foot, but not both. I think the next time I make a skirt with piping I will also try removing the cord at the end so the piping goes under the zipper but without any cording inside. This way I can keep the nicely finished look of the piping without the bulk and rolling over of the rope onto the zipper.
So what I figured out in all of this is that I should either press the zipper open and use a regular zipper foot, or not press it open and use the hidden zipper foot, but not both. I think the next time I make a skirt with piping I will also try removing the cord at the end so the piping goes under the zipper but without any cording inside. This way I can keep the nicely finished look of the piping without the bulk and rolling over of the rope onto the zipper.
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