Finishing the ends of the zipper (How to sew when finishing the ends of the zipper)
This time, I’ll explain how to finish the ends of a zipper. When making a pouch or tote bag with a zipper, do you usually pay attention to the zipper ends?
Of course, you can sew the zipper on as it is, without finishing the zipper ends, and still make a pouch or bag. However, if you leave the ends unfinished, you might find that the fabric around the zipper becomes thick and hard to sew toward the end of the process, or that the finished pouch or bag doesn’t look as neat as you’d like.
To avoid that, I recommend finishing the zipper ends when making pouches or bags. Finishing the zipper ends is actually very simple – you just fold the edges of the zipper tape (the top tape end and bottom tape end) and sew them down with thread.
With just this small extra step, your zippered pouch or bag will have a much cleaner, more professional finish.
1. This time, I’d like to show you how to finish the ends of a zipper using a metal zipper.
2. First, turn the zipper over and press a crease with an iron on the extra part of the tape at the ends (called the top or bottom tape ends). You can start on either the top stop side or the bottom stop side. In this example, we’ll begin finishing the zipper end from the bottom stop side.
3. It is recommended to use a low temperature on the iron. If the temperature is too high, the zipper tape may become shiny.
4. Fold the creased part of the zipper tape outward.
5. Sew the edge of the zipper tape with thread to keep the folded part from opening. (Thicker thread, such as basting thread, is recommended.)
6. Be careful not to sew off the thread in a way that overlaps the zipper tape’s stitching line. The stitching line is a bit hard to see, but if you look closely at the zipper tape, you’ll notice a thin line – that’s it. The weave of the tape changes slightly along that line, so you should be able to spot it if you look carefully.
7. Finish the other end of the zipper in the same way. This time, since we started from the bottom tape end, we’ll finish the top tape end in the same way.
8. Once all the zipper ends are finished, this step is complete.
Making movie is the following.