Another Swap Project Done!

I know the PR Fall Wardrobe swap is long over but these pants were cut out and waiting patiently on the cutting table for me, silently pleading for love and attention! The wait is over and now they hang on a hanger in the closet, waiting for me to lose the Christmas cookies that are hanging around my hips!! A few more trips to the gym and the wait will be over agian! That said I do love the pants, they are just what I wanted out of dress pants, they hang beautifully (don't pay attention to the fabric pulling at the inner legs, the dress form has no bum or legs), and feel really nice on which has to do with the bemberg lining I used (except for the cookie problem I mentioned earlier, they will feel really nice when they are not too tight!) To prep for the Zipper I put together this tutorial, as a result of the practice the zipper went in without a hitch or glitch!

Fly Front Zipper Tutorial

The time had come to finish these crepe, bemberg-lined slacks and I wanted to practice the zipper before I went to the project. I have done zippers before and sometimes they require stitch ripping :( before you’re done. I just didn’t relish using a seam ripper on black crepe. A practice run is the solution and since I was doing it for me I thought I’d share it with you!


Here is the mock up of the pants front. You’ll notice that the fly extensions are interfaced to the seam line. Part of the crotch seam is sewn and the extension is basted.


Clip the crotch seam just below the extension and press the seam open.






Fold the pants and one extension back so that there is only one layer on the work surface. Pin the zipper facedown so that the zipper tape is against the seam. It’s always easier to use a longer zipper than called for in the pattern so that the zipper pull is well out of the way. Sew the zipper to the extension, this doesn’t have to be pretty or accurate or even straight (as you can see from my example) it will never be seen!


Next fold the zipper back and sew 1/8-1/4” from the fabric edge.



Now it’s time to sew the other side of the zipper to the other extension. Fold the pants body out of the way and sew the zipper where it lies. There’s no measuring or manipulating to do. The zipper will lay flat, just sew it where it is!


You’re almost done now! Turn the project right side up and chalk a nice line to follow. You’re the designer so put your line where it looks good to you; 1 ¼” is good for casual pants, I like dressy pants to be a little narrower. Don’t worry if you don’t sew on the zipper tape, it’s already stitched down to the extension. If you’re using contrasting thread this is where you’ll want the stitches to be perfect, (unlike this sample) and it might be fun to do a double row of stitches with a twin needle. Do a little bartack or backstitching where the seam will open, take out the basting and you are done! A Stress Free Fly Front Zipper!