How To Use An Invisible Zipper Foot. With Tips And Tricks!

Let’s learn How to Use an Invisible Zipper Foot to have a genuinely perfect invisible zipper that no one will know is there!

Invisible zippers are great for closures for garments like dresses, pants, shorts, and even on pillows, cushions, and other home decor items.

The only problem is that attaching an invisible zipper can be a scary challenge. Am I right?

I am here to show you that you actually have nothing to be scared of. I will teach you exactly how to use an invisible zipper presser foot to attach your invisible zippers anywhere you want!

And, of course, I will be sharing my best tips and tricks to help you succeed. 

Let’s do it!

NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase using one of the links in this article, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (To know more about this, click here.)

What is an invisible zipper?

An invisible zipper is a type of zipper whose teeth are hidden behind the fabric when it is closed to appear nearly invisible in garments or other fabric projects.

Invisible zippers are fantastic! These are the types of zippers you will want to use if you want a very polished look on your clothes with only a very subtle seam line visible where you insert the zipper. For example, dresses, skirts, and pants, as well as in home decor projects like cushion covers and pillowcases.

These zippers have very fine, tightly-spaced teeth. Also, their tape is very different from regular zipper tapes. The tape of an invisible zipper will often be narrower and made of a lightweight material. All of these qualities make them great for blending into the seams.

And precisely because of that, for you to install an invisible zipper, you will require a special invisible zipper presser foot for your sewing machine. This presser foot will help us sew the zipper without visible stitching on the outside of our garments.

Importance of using the correct foot for sewing invisible zippers.

I am not going to lie. Sewing invisible zippers was my worst nightmare when I was in college.

I often designed clothes and skirts with buttons just to avoid sewing these types of zippers to my designs!!

The thing is that back in school, I needed to have the technique and the right tools to sew invisible zippers properly.

My teachers taught me how to sew these zippers using a regular zipper foot. One just like this one.

So, of course, I would always end with weird bubbles and uneven seams.

Although you can sew an invisible zipper using a regular zipper foot, this method doesn’t provide the precision you need for seamless results.

This is because the zipper foot is made to help you avoid the zipper teeth, as where the invisible zipper foot wants you to get as close as you can to the zipper teeth.

Let me explain myself better.

The Invisible Zipper Foot

Buy my kit of sewing presser feet here.

An invisible zipper foot is a specialized sewing machine foot attachment designed specifically for sewing invisible zippers.

It is shaped differently from a standard sewing machine foot, with two grooves or channels below the foot that serve as a guide for the zipper teeth and a hole in the center front that allows the needle to get as close to the zipper teeth as possible while stitching.

The zipper on my pictures here is the universal invisible zipper foot.

Nevertheless, the invisible zipper foot also comes in other presentations. For example, the one at the center top of the picture has a more extended divider on the center front (perfect for sewing with thick fabrics for extra precision), or there is also the transparent version that allows you to see your fabrics as you sew.

The universal invisible zipper presser foot might or might not come with the accessories included in your sewing machine. But don’t worry because you can easily buy it online if you don’t have it. Here are some places where you can buy them:

• Universal Invisible Zipper Foot
• Invisible Zipper Foot Singer
• Invisible Zipper Foot Brother
• Juki Invisible Zipper Foot
• 48 Universal Presser Feet Kit (Zipper Feet Included)

How to use an invisible zipper foot. Step-by-step Instructions.

1. Attach the invisible presser foot to your sewing machine.

Before starting with the invisible zipper instructions, we must attach our special presser foot to our machine.

It’s important to make sure you turn off your sewing machine when you’re not using it to prevent any accidental starts. If you have a high-end machine, you can simply lock all keys and buttons. 

Lift the presser foot lever by turning the handwheel on your machine and press on the foot holder to release the current foot, then place the sewing machine’s invisible zipper foot in place and lower the handwheel so the presser foot snaps into place.

2. Prepare the zipper. 

The preparation steps are something you can totally skip. But I have found that they make a HUGE difference in the end result of every invisible zipper I have sewn. 

If you want an even neater result, we can do a couple of things to help us achieve that. The first one is pressing the zipper teeth, and the second one is using fusible interfacing. 

The zipper teeth will always try to roll backward, hiding the area where our seam is going to be. That is why, to prevent it from doing that while we are sewing, we can press the teeth away from the tape as I am doing here. 

This will temporarily keep the teeth of the zipper “unfolded” so we can guide it better through our sewing machine. 

Can you see the difference in this picture and guess which side is already pressed? Yes! It is on the left side. 

Psst!! Save this post on Pinterest for future reference.

3. Prepare the fabric with fusible interfacing.

Pressing a thin strip (1″ wide at least) of fusible interfacing on the wrong side of the area where our zipper is going to be will help a lot! 

The lightweight fusible interfacing will stabilize all the areas we will be working with so we can achieve cleaner results. 

Cut a 1″ strip the same length (or a bit longer) as your zipper and press it on the wrong side of the fabric edges. 

Remember that when you are working with fusible interfacing, it is best to tap the iron to the fabric softly and slowly instead of making a “brush” movement. This will prevent your interfacing from bunching up and making bulks.

4. Secure and sew the left side of the zipper.

The reason why I am breaking the steps down by sides is that each one of the grooves or dents of the blind zipper foot is used on different sides of the zipper.

So, let’s start with the left one. 

A very important note you can’t forget is that you will be working first with the right sides of the fabric. We are actually going to sew the zipper from the front so it will end on the back.

I know it sounds confusing, but don’t stress too much. It will make sense in a minute. 

Open the zipper, take the left side of it, and place it looking down on the left side of your fabric with the right sides together. 

*Note* If you are sewing the zipper where you need to leave a seam allowance on the top, check how far from it the top edge needs to be from the zipper stopper so you can leave the necessary seam allowance. 

Pin the zipper and then go to your sewing machine. 

Place the zipper teeth under the left groove (remember, we are working with the left zipper side) of the zipper foot. 

Pro Tip! Before you start sewing, position your machine needle as close as you can to the zipper teeth. Even .5 mm can make the difference! 

Make a backstitch at the beginning of the seam and start sewing, using your hands to help the zipper teeth travel correctly through the zipper groove.

Once you reach the end, make another backstitch.

5. Secure and sew the right side of the zipper.

Now, let’s move on to the right side of the zipper.

Here is where it gets tricky, my friend. And I am telling you this because this was one of my more recurrent mistakes when I started sewing invisible zippers back in the day.

Place both sides of the fabrics, with the right side facing you. 

The left side of the zipper is already facing down the fabric, but you are going to take the lower part of it and make it look right side up.

Then, and only then, you will take the right side of the zipper and align it with the right side of the fabric. It is crucial that you do it this way. Otherwise, you won’t be able to close the zipper once it is closed.

I made this picture purposely larger so you could appreciate the details. 

Ok, now you’ve got this tackled. Let’s sew the right side the same way we did before. Except that this time, of course, you will be placing the right teeth of the invisible zipper under the right groove of the presser foot.

Sew along and make a backstitch at the seam’s beginning and end.

6. Finish the seam

For this step, we will need to make another presser foot change. 

This time, we will use the regular zipper foot to continue our seam line at the indicated pattern seam allowance until we reach the end of our zipper seams.

You have to end this seam exactly (or as close as possible) as the other seam starts. 

Finally, press these seams open and give your zipper a light press on the right side of the fabric. 

You did it!!

Conclusion

Can you see how using an invisible zipper foot makes sewing invisible zippers much easier and more precise compared to using a standard sewing machine foot?

In conclusion, investing in an invisible zipper foot for your sewing projects is essential for achieving a polished and professional finish.

With this amazing foot, you can stitch close to the zipper teeth and create flawless seams that are almost invisible! It’s all thanks to the foot’s specialized design.

Whether you are a seasoned seamstress or just starting out, using an invisible zipper foot will elevate the look of your garments and give them a high-end finish.

So don’t hesitate to add this handy tool to your sewing arsenal – your projects will thank you!

As always, please remember to share your thoughts with me in the comment section below and tag me on your social media as @mygoldenthimble so I can see your amazing work!