How to Sew Long Zippers Using Matchup Marks
Details
Details
Sewing long zippers on large assemblies can be quite tricky. It's important to use matchup marks to line up the first and second half of your zipper while sewing. Otherwise, your fabric application may not zip up evenly when you’ve finished your project. In our short video, we’ll teach you how to use matchup marks to ensure both sides of your zipper are sewn on consistently. This applies to all types of zippers, including coil, metal and molded tooth.
Matchup marks are almost always required when sewing very long zippers like those found on our Sailrite® Genoa Sleeve Kits. (A genoa is a long fabric sock with a zipper used to protect a furled sail on a boat.) To mark on our fabric, we used the small yet versatile Chalk Pencil Cartridge Set, which has a variety of chalk colors to mark on a wide range of colored fabrics. We attached our continuous coil zipper chain with Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas. Then we sewed the zipper with our Ultrafeed® LSZ Sewing Machine. We also shared a few helpful tips and tricks for you to keep in mind when installing zippers on future projects.
Follow along with our short video to learn how to correctly baste and sew both halves of your zipper, one side at a time. Learn how to correctly add matchup marks to guide your sewing and ensure your project turns out perfectly. If you have any questions or concerns while working on your project, feel free to contact a member of our helpful customer support staff via phone, email or the chat function on our website. We’d be happy to help you!
Sailrite is your go-to resource for all things zippers! We stock a full and diverse inventory of zipper components: separating zippers, continuous zipper chain lengths, zipper pulls and sliders, and zipper top and bottom stops. We’re proud to stock both Lenzip® and YKK® brand zipper components. Both brands are giants in the industry, known for quality parts that last. Our Lenzip supply is by far our most robust zipper offering, with a wide variety of finished, separating and continuous zipper styles, colors and sizes, as well as sliders and pulls in a multitude of colors and styles to choose from. Think of Sailrite as your trusted zipper supplier.
Footnote:
This blog was updated in February 2023 to reflect changes in zipper inventory and Ultrafeed naming conventions.