The invisible zipper
This is the easiest and fastest zipper application, because there's no need to baste or topstitch. Use an invisible zipper foot (available from your local fabric store or Clotilde, 800-772-2891; www.clotilde.com) that lets you sew extremely close to the zipper coils, making them invisible from the right side.

Insert this zipper before sewing the garment seam. First unzip the zipper and press the coils as flat as possible with a cool iron, and don't close the zipper again until after inserting it.

Before inserting an invisible zipper, press the zipper's coils as flat as possible with a cool iron.		Stitch down each side of the invisible zipper with coils along the seamline, right sides of zipper tape and fabric together. Stitch as far as the zipper stop will allow you to stitch.

Positioning this zipper might be confusing at first. Just remember to always keep the zipper and the garment right sides together with the zipper coils along the seamlines. And position the zipper foot for each side of the zipper so the needle clears the center hole and the coils glide under the groove.

Sew the left side of the zipper to the right garment section, top to bottom, until you get to the zipper stop. Align the remaining tape to the left side of the garment and sew in place. Then complete the garment seam.

Keep in mind that you cannot stitch the seam so it connects smoothly to the zipper stitching without leaving a gap. I recommend starting the seam as close to the zipper stop as possible, then hand-sewing the gap closed. Or machine-stitch the seam completely, but switch to a zipper foot to get those final stitches as close to the stop as possible.

Celeste Percy works at 27th Street Fabrics in Eugene, Oregon.