Sew Ripple-Free Zippers in Knits
Most of us have a ready-to-wear garment with a ripply zipper. The solution is knit stay-tape interfacing. This a lightweight interfacing product cut to a convenient width. My choice is 1-1/4 inches wide to support zippers. You can purchase it precut or cut strips of lightweight weft insertion interfacing.
Fuse this in a strip along the wrong side of the zipper opening edges in knit garments. The interfacing stabilizes the edges, and that keeps the zipper smooth. It really makes a difference.
I don’t mind the strip of interfacing showing within the garment, but if you don’t want much to show, you can cut it to a narrower width.
Editor’s note: This is the last installment of a six-part article about stay tapes, based on the feature “Stay Tape Know-how” by Pamela Leggett, Threads #215 (Fall 2021). For more expert advice from Pamela about applying stay tapes, continue to the article’s other sections:
- 4 Essential Stay Tapes for Knits
- How to Stabilize a Shoulder Seam with Stay Tape
- Use Stay Tape to Stabilize a Foldover Neckline Finish
- How to Hem Knits Faster with Stay Tape
- Apply Stay Tape for Easier Blind Hemming
Pamela Leggett creates Pamela’s Patterns and teaches sewing and fitting across the country and at her Vernon, Connecticut, studio. PamelasPatterns.com
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It would be helpful if you could suggest links for sources for these nice tapes. Searching the internet gives too many confusing results.