All about zippers

So … zippers. Some people love ’em, some people tremble at the idea of having to put one in. In today’s post, we talk about different kinds of zippers and when to use them. We’re going to start doing some different zipper installation tutorials, and as we do, we’ll link to them here.

Regular zipper

Conventional zippers can be installed several ways. The coil and pull will show in a standard application. In lapped or fly-front installations, there is a small flap covering the zipper. These are great for many uses, such as small bags, many articles of clothing, pillows (nicest with a flap to cover it — tutorial).

Invisible zipper

The invisible zipper is just that — invisible. You might see a tiny pull at the top, but mostly the whole thing won’t show in the final application (can be used on a skirt or a throw pillow, as examples). We will have a tutorial on how to install an invisible zipper on a pillow soon.

Purse zipper

Purse zippers have two zipper pulls so you can pull from either end. You can certainly use a standard zipper on a bag, but these are more heavy-duty, have a wider zipper tape and the pulls are larger and easier to grasp.

Jeans zipper

Made for jeans, they have the denim colored zipper tape and brass teeth, and they come in shorter sizes. Even 3″ for those low-rise pants!

Separating zipper

Separates on the bottom, like you would need for a jacket or coat. In other words, it completely opens into two pieces.

Continuous zipper

Continuous zipper tape is sold by the yard. You buy the pulls separately and cut off the amount of zipper tape that you need for a given project. We have a tutorial for that here.