TUTORIAL - PUTTING A ZIPPER INTO A PILLOW BACK

Remember this pillow?

 Here is the back, some of you asked for a tutorial.....

 So let us begin!

I can not show you the front of the pillow just yet but I can show you the back.  This is batik from Island Batik, fabric line is La Bamba.

• My pillow top is an 18" square.  Your pillow can be any size but add 1" to the top and bottom.  In my case, I have added a 1" square on all sides in case I forget and cut the fabric the wrong way....ummmm  did I just say that?

• So...this will be an 19" square.  

• Cut in half

• Then turn under 1/2" on the side you cut (both sides).  Iron

One thing I love about batiks they take to an iron marvelously...no starch is needed.

• Now that you have both sides turned under, find the center of the zipper and center of the fabric.
• Match zipper up to fabric.
• Sew one side on first, then do the same thing to the next side.

• You can glue your fabric to the zipper, pin, or like I am doing here....free floating.  

  Notice that I am not using a zipper foot.  For me it is easier to just use a regular foot.

• Do the other side the same way.  Simple so far?

 Here it is finished.

 There is a whole on both sides of the zipper ends and so we are going to cover them now.

• I just used some scraps about 1" wide.  Fold to the middle on both sides and iron.

• Place the right side of the fabric strip to the right side of the pillow back fabric centering over the zipper.  Sew across as you see here.  As you can see here that the stitches are reinforced by going over them several times.

One note of caution:  Be careful of the metal brackets on the zipper.

I have my trusty Lapel Stick, use a glue stick, pins or nothing...your choice.

Flip the strip over the zipper and glue over the fabric on both sides.

•  Top stitch down as shown here.  Then trim to match the edge of the pillow fabric.

•   Size up your pillow back to the pillow top by placing right side facing each other.  Trim the excess fabric from the pillow back. 
•  Sew all the way around your pillow leaving no hole.
•   You are done!!!

Be sure to leave the zipper open some when sewing or you will have trouble opening the zipper when the pillow is done.