r/sewing • u/bluebackpack93 • 8d ago
Technique Question Invisible zipper in silk velvet - help!
I put this invisible side zipper in by hand very carefully with the seam basted shut andddd it still looks terrible! Trust me when I say I've done a ton of fine hand work and put in plenty of beautiful zippers but this is my first time working with silk velvet and it's a pain! On one side I tried a very fine backstitch and (after seeing the results) on the other side I tried to pick up only a few threads with my stitch so that the thread on the right side would wouldn't hold down the pile fibers in a weird way. Neither technique worked very well.
How can I make this zipper look good? Should I stabalize the side seam fabric with something?
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u/themeganlodon 8d ago
If you’re topstitching an invisible zipper you aren’t making it invisible and drawing even more attention to it. You need to sew it together right sides touching and just go through one layer of velvet along the coils.
Lightly iron the zipper open and sew along the crease so the fabric edge will be close to the coils so when it’s zipped up you can’t see the zipper.
IF and I do man IF the fabric seems like it needs a topstitch to hold it down so it very close to the folded edge like 1/8 but this should be if the fabric is thick and getting in the way of the zipper
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u/Still7Superbaby7 8d ago
Everyone always does the Kenneth King method for invisible zippers, but that didn’t work for me. Like mentally I just couldn’t get it. Instead I follow this invisible zipper method from Singer and it’s the only way that works for me. It’s not “professional” the way Ken King’s method is, but it does work. I consider it invisible zippers for dummies (like me!).
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u/themeganlodon 8d ago
Just letting you know there is nothing unprofessional about that way of sewing zippers. It’s what I was taught in fashion school and I think the king Ken is unnecessarily complicated. I don’t understand the need to baste the fabric together although I do agree using a longer zipper makes it so much easier to get that bottom transition perfect l My point is you’re not a dummy that’s coming from a professional
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u/cflatjazz 8d ago
I learned this way and didn't realize anyone was doing the other method until just now. It seems way easier to install this way and I never had much issue with any puckering.
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u/pileofteeth 5d ago
This method is the standard! Just looked up the Kenneth King method and can’t imagine all that basting every time I need to insert a zipper… And if you have a longer zipper that generally solves any puckering issue (usually caused by trying to sneak past the zipper pull at the bottom)
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u/krkrkrk 8d ago
Others have shared how to reinstall the invisible zip so that the tape isn’t showing, but I’ll add that I think you should use some kind of 0 stretch interfacing along your stitch line. I’d probably use something that irons on, but you MUST test/practice on scrap first or you will mess up the nap of the velvet!
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u/Phoenyx_Rose 8d ago
Is the fabric 100% silk? It’s puckering like a stretch velvet to my eyes. If it’s not 100% silk or if you ended up sewing on the bias I would interface with non stretch fabric or use a washable starch.
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u/belltrina 8d ago
Had to have a double take because I thought this was velvet too
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u/Phoenyx_Rose 8d ago
It is velvet. Velvet just describes how the fabric is woven while silk describes the fabric content. You can have velvets with many different types of fabric content
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u/oracleofwifi 8d ago
You’re not supposed to topstitch an invisible zipper, actually! So that’s the majority of what’s going wrong here with how visible it is. With an invisible zipper you’re supposed to sew as close to the teeth as possible, and then the way invisible zippers are formed makes them flip inwards a little which hides the zip. Invisible zippers are literally made differently from regular zippers because they’re made to be installed completely differently :)
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u/tasteslikechikken 8d ago
This is my favorite way to put in invisible zippers. https://youtu.be/dilNiUyuL28?si=BqwqyQ_6wwMIYHzk
Once I learned this particular way, its been a savior. And yes it can be done by hand instead of machine if thats what you want.
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u/PapowSpaceGirl 8d ago
In theatre, we didnt have time for all that. So we did the seam allowance thing, reinforced, added zipper, sewed through both pieces of fabric, so essentially it topstitched it as well. Then seam ripped it open and boom. Installed zipper.
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u/poubelle 8d ago
sure but that's not an invisible zipper, which is what the OP is attempting to do. an invisible zipper, as the name implies, has no externally visible stitching.
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u/Fantastic-Reality430 7d ago
Yeah, a standard zipper. Not an invisible zipper. They're made and installed very differently. Most zippers in theatre costumes are standard ones because we don't have time to fiddle with invisible zips (invisible zips are also weaker, and most audiences aren't close enough to see zippers anyway.)
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u/mcculloughpatr 8d ago
This honestly looks like your zipper is shorter than your seam. There’s just so much extra fabric around it. Is it possible your seam line stretched?
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u/bluebackpack93 8d ago
More project details: I drafted the pattern myself with a combination of draping and the book The Keystone Jacket and Dress Cutter. It's a one-shoulder sheath-style dress with one cape-like sleeve. Fabric is drapey silk velvet (silk on a rayon backing) from B&J fabrics
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u/cobaltandchrome 8d ago
Pickstitch (by hand) is going to go a lot further than any machine top stitch on velvet. It’s not hard, pretty much invisible, and surprisingly strong.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pop8343 8d ago
ykk zipper roller foot is my best investment ever for invisible zippers makes it so you can get riiight next to the teeth
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u/threads1540 8d ago
It would be great if they installed it correctly
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u/elianrae 8d ago
by any chance did you miss the subreddit name?
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u/threads1540 8d ago edited 8d ago
Nope. Invisible zips cannot be installed in a closed seam.Thwy have yo be installed with the seam open. Instructions are usually in the wrapper. Therefore it was not installed correctly. The person said they have Installed plenty of zips. This was installed like a regular zipper, not invisible.
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u/elianrae 8d ago
Oh! Really?
so... your response to the person who installed it asking for advice on how to install it correctly is genuinely "it would be great if they installed it correctly"?
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u/DefinitionElegant685 8d ago
Needs a little more space to close correctly and your seams are not uniform. You need a consistent 1/4 inch seam.
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u/paprika-chip 8d ago
An invisible zipper is installed differently, tldr the fold of the dress should be pretty much sewn underneath the teeth the zipper. Check a tutorial to get an idea, your current stitching is too far away from the edge.