Posted on 12/02/2022 6:12:43 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
“Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, Sauté it, whatever. MAKE.” ~ Joss Whedon
The Monthly Create, Make and Share Thread is a monthly gathering of people that love to create and make. From yarn (crochet, knitting), fabric (sewing, quilting), threads (embroidery, weaving), wood crafts, ceramics, artwork and anything else you create and would like to share, this is the place to do it. Sharing something you’ve created and/or made is pure joy...and we need joy in our lives!
From complete Newbies that are looking to start that first project, to experienced artists, we would love to hear from you. If you have questions or would like advice, there’s probably someone on the thread who would be able to help.
It is impossible to hijack the Monthly Create, Make and Share Thread. Knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, weaving, general crafting, art, wood working, patterns, articles on any of these topics, or even your own writing. There is no telling where it will go, and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you’d like to be added to our Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a Month Ping List. We DO post to the thread during the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to other Create, Make and Share fans are welcomed any time.
I was going to say….you need to make a how-to video demonstration of these wonderful rugs that you make ;-)
Thanks for posting the pics and description, on how to make.
I have not sewed since I was a teenager - no experience with invisible zippers ... BUT my go-to for all sorts of help is Youtube.
Here’s a video I found (lots more out there):
How to Sew an Invisible Zipper Step by Step | Sewing Tutorial with Angela Wolf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTCQsSLBFw
She’s using a lighter fabric. Not sure how heavier velveteen would work.
If it’s a vest, does it have to have a zipper if a front closure? How about some beautiful Chinese knot “frog” closures or something similar? They would show, but be decorative.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing.
My only quick-reaction suggestion would be to use a different, thinner fabric on the underside of the placard that will hide the zipper. This might make the thickness more manageable. Is the zipper to be in the center front? or in a back or side seam? Is there any other closure option such as buttons, clasps, or snaps, that would work?
Girls, you are NOT alone.
In order to graduate HS, females/males found the need to pass
2 semesters of home ec or shop. Cooking, the semester was a breaze and a few new recipes were found in the process. Sewing was a very different story. Project: a pair of pajamas. No zippers but a pull tie holding up the bottoms. Inset sleeves. Long story short, the darn things didn’t hold up well, coming apart in a few short weeks. To this day
sewing machines are wasted on me and I run at the sight of
a needle. Do wish I could ‘do’ zippers, a necessity, for some DC folks definitely need them applied.
Invisible zippers are indeed invisible if done well. It’s been so long since I put one in though, that unfortunately, I don’t recall anything about the weight of the fabric.
All I remember for sure is that if they are not meticulously installed, they will show anyways.
Oh, I wish I could be more help! Last time I sewed clothing was probably the mid 1990’s. I’ve only done an invisible zipper once. It was ok, but I’m not an expert at all. My mama, though, she could tell you everything you want to know. Alas, she’s in Heaven, so we can’t ask her. She was a talented seamstress. She designed her own clothing when she was a teenager, and even designed (and sewed) my wedding dress, which was just beautiful. Times like this I really wish I could call her on the phone and chat. She’d know exactly what to tell you. Good luck with your project!
No crochet at all — just a regular 3-strand braid with the fabric edges folded inside. Machine stitching would show on the top and bottom, and would be hard to do on these puffy braids. I described the invisible stitch method for this regular T-shirt weight of jersey in post 33. Hand-stitching is time-consuming; but I use it like a meditation.
One of the nice things if I am hand-stitching leisurely on a rug in a a public place (like an airport or doctor’s waiting room) is that black women and children are usually fascinated and ask a lot of questions. Braiding is a familiar art to blacks. It leads to some good conversations. I remember one young woman who was feeling very anxious because she was waiting for her mom, who was having X-rays due to suspected breast cancer. Asking about the rug gave her an intro to converse with an older white stranger, and receive some emotional support from me about her mom’s health scare.
Thank you, Ms Jane!
Good luck with the zipper. I bought the special zipper foot for the invisibles, but have never managed to make one look really good, and have stopped trying.
For what it’s worth, my sewing teacher back in Home Ec class said that the word for the little flap enclosure for a regular zipper is “placket.” Most of us have learned sewing by talking, looking and listening, not from reading, and it sounds almost like placard! (which is a cardboard poster.)
Thanks for these threads, Diana!
Anyone ever use Wonder Clips and, if so, would the user recommend them?
Thank you and thank you to everyone for your help and input.
Ack! You ended up with a “backless” dress. I’ve been reading that invisible zippers can seperate and break much more easily that regular zippers, hence my hesitation.
The vest is actually for my niece. She picked out the fabric and style. It will be a medieval style I guess you would call it. It's cold and snowy where we live so she wants a zipper but it will also have decorative silver celtic style clasp closures over the front zipper.
Thanks for the youtube link, I'll give it a watch.
Your Mom sounds just like my Mom. They are probably both in the same sewing room in Heaven :-) I have most of her patterns, she had quite the collection starting from the late 1930's.
Thank you!
Just thinking that over, probably the best place to put an invisible zipper is in the side seam, where there would be less direct pressure on it than in the center back, where the spine bends outward against it, like when getting out of a car or sitting in an upholstered chair.
That’s cool that you’ve kept her collection of patterns. I have just a few of mom’s. I like your vision of being in the same Heavenly sewing room. It was mom’s passion, and she was so very talented. When I was getting married I told her the kind of dress I was looking for. She drew it out for me on paper first, and when I had approved the design, she fitted it just for me. Incredible detail too. Every piece of lace was carefully sewn, and every bead hand attached. A work of art, if I do say so myself. I’m one lucky girl to have had such a loving mother.
Avoid any zippers with the nylon coil as its "teeth", especially invisible zippers.
Where possible, choose zippers with metal teeth:
Molded plastic teeth are fun and colorful for jackets, loose sporty clothes or children's wear, but may break in adult garments where there is outward pressure on the zipper:
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