When I first learned to sew, I was terrified of zippers. My advice to even those new to sewing: dive right in! Anyone, yes, ANYONE…can do this!
You DO need a zipper foot to make life easier with the sewing. Almost all machines come with one.
Let’s get started…
First, find your fabric. Not sure where to start? I love Online Fabric Store.
Gather your other materials: a zipper, ideally around 2 inches shorter than the length of your cut fabric. A seam ripper is a must for sewing in general and for this project. Sharp scissors are needed as well. Matching thread will make your pillow look that much more professional. You will need a good iron too!
Cut your fabric into squares or rectangles,depending on what style/size pillow you are making. There are different schools of thought on sizing a pillow. For a 20×20 inch pillow, I cut two squares, 20×20 because I like the pillow to fit snugly in the cover.
Now you are ready to start. Place right sides of fabric together and pin. Sew them together on one side, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance (meaning, line the fabric up on the 4/8 marker on your machine).
You will now press the seam you just made.
Now you are ready to tackle the zipper. Place it face down, centered on the fabric, and pin.
Time to sew on the zipper. Start from one side on the top (where you see the zipper pull), and work down. Note: you will not be able to start from the very top because the zipper pull makes it hard to get your zipper foot right up against the edge. Don’t worry, just do the best you can. When you get to the bottom, turn 90 degrees and sew across the bottom. Continue down the other side until the end.
Congratulations! You’ve just installed the zipper. Now you get to use your seam ripper to open the first seam you made and reveal your zipper. Start at the top of your zipper and gently rip at the threads, slowly working your way down.
You will start to see the zipper. Remember, only rip where the zipper is, not beyond.
When I was done with this step, I unzipped the zipper all the way. I flipped around to the wrong side of the fabric and touched up my zipper sewing at the top a bit because it was really loose from where I had not been able to get my zipper foot close. Once my zipper was unzipped, it was much easier to get in there at the top part.
Next, I pressed my pillow together neatly and pinned it, in preparation for sewing it together.
Again, be SURE your zipper is open before you sew this together. Sew together, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. When finished, carefully trim your corners. This gives the pillow 90 degree nicely pointed corners on the outside.
Voila! You are done! Enjoy your new pillow, and congratulate yourself on a job well done.
