I have come up with a great way to sew a perfect zipper. After machine-basting the seam together, I place 1/4-inch-wide adhesive quilter’s tape (it’s a lot like narrow masking tape) on the right side along each side of the seam line. I hand-baste the zipper in place using relatively large stitches, then machine-stitch along the outside and bottom edges of the tape to secure the zipper.

The stitching line that results is parallel to the seam line. Even if the zipper teeth aren’t centered on the seam opening, you can’t tell from the outside because the zipper stitching is symmetrical and the zipper insertion looks impeccable. In addition, there is no sticky residue when the tape is removed.

submitted by Shelby Meade
from Threads #132