Sewing Zippers on my Tarp Tent

[Phong Dinh]

Hello, I am making a shaped a frame tarp-tent with doors.  I want to sew zippers but I dont know what seam to use.  Here’s where the zippers would go.

What seam do I use to attach the zipper?  Would it be something like this?

The image shows the orange fabric folded once, then the zipper sewn over the fold twice with the green thread.  Let me know if thats how you would do it?

Thanks.

[Jerry Adams]

That’s what I do.

I try to get the fold of the fabric as close to the zipper teeth as possible, to minimize air and water getting through.  If the fold of the fabric actually overlaps the teeth, then it will snag when you zip.

I have a zipper foot just for zippers.  It has a foot on just one side, the side where the zipper teeth aren’t.

I do the row of stitches closest to the teeth first, with the teeth up.

For the row of stitches that’s farthest from the zipper teeth, I turn it upside down and make sure that row of stitches is close to the edge of the zipper tape.

[Nick Smolinske]

I would do something very similar, except the inner seams would only go through the orange fabric once.  I would do that seam first, with the panels upside down (i.e. the outside of the tent fabric facing the outside of the zipper).  That way the fold is very easy – you just fold it over, then pull the zipper and fabric in opposite directions while sewing the outer seams.

[Phong Dinh]

OK.  I understand what you are both saying.  I will give it a shot.  Thanks!  Sewing is alot harder than I anticipated!

 

[Phong Dinh]

[Duplicate Removed]

[Jerry Adams]

I saw some sewing show on PBS that did that.  You can get that row of stitches closest to the zipper teeth, closer and more even.  Good for making an invisible zipper on a dress.  It would make it a little more water and wind proof.  Except I haven’t noticed a problem doing it the other way, and you have to open the door to get in and out, so rain’s going to get in there a little regardless

[Maxine Weyant]

You might consider a flap over the zipper.  Start with the technique Nick suggested, but on one of the pieces of fabric, when you fold the fabric back to make the outer seam, you leave a flap of about 2 inches. After sewing the inner and outer zipper seams, you would then put a seam down the zipper flap to keep the flap flat and to keep it from catching in the zipper. Start with a seam down the length of the flap about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the inner seam and you may need another seam about 1/4 inch from the edge of the flap. Practice with a piece of your fabric and a zipper the same size you’ll be using to get the flap just right size and the seams in just the right places, so it’s not too floppy or redundant. Ideally, you’d want the flap to cover the zipper as well as the exposed seam on the other side.

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