Zipper feet

Folks,

In my younger days (in sewing terms), I used to question everything. Why must I sew something this way and not that way. Is that the best way? Is there a tool available to help me sew better? Then I got so used to sewing in a certain way that I stopped looking for better ways.

Recently I said out loud to hubs that I wished someone would come up with an app to do XXX. For the life of me I can't recall what XXX was. Anyway hubs said there was such an app and he was right! It got me thinking that the little irritations I face daily when I sew with zippers can be solved by better tools.

Let me explain. I sew a lot of zip pouches and it's possible I've made at least 500 by now. So you can believe me when I say I know how to sew zippers. I have to say, despite having sewn so many zippers, I still have issues with the zipper foot.

ignore the lint!

See this zipper foot? It comes with the sewing machine. I hardly ever use it. Know why?

See how close the needle is to the zipper? That's desirable if you sew clothing but for zip pouches, I like to sew further away from the zipper teeth. I don't know about other sewers if they mind sewing so close to the teeth because in real life I don't go around asking people that sort of question. Of course you're probably thinking why don't I sew more to the right but if I do that there's nothing to anchor my zipper foot on. (underneath the zipper foot there is a groove) In fact, that's what I did in the old days - using the zipper foot like you would a regular foot - but it always felt a little unstable.

For a few years now, I've been using an adjustable zipper foot. Most of my zip pouches have been made using this zipper foot.

I love using this zipper foot because I can sew anywhere on the zipper. I could place it snug next to the zipper teeth which I'll never do or I could just follow a drawn line and use the line to guide me. This foot is great for making piping, by the way!

So, like I said. I made most of my zipper pouch using this adjustable zipper foot. And honestly it did a good job. But I never found it perfect. There was just one big issue I had with it. The zipper foot did not have enough grip. I always felt it was too slippery when I sew as I'm not anchoring onto anything. Because of that I need to go slowly. If I have to go slowly for 500 zip pouches, you can imagine my frustration.

Yesterday I was at my sewing machine dealer's office and I casually told the good folks there my zipper foot problem. Okay, who am I kidding? I poured out my problems to them. When I bought my adjustable zipper foot from Brother a few years ago, I was told that was the best zipper foot available which was why I bought it. My dealer brought out this other adjustable zipper foot.

Janome adjustable zipper foot

the orange one is my first one

Honestly, I couldn't tell based on the look if it would be better but I bought it. Yesterday night I immediately sewed a zip pouch to test the new adjustable zipper foot.

This was what I sewed. Is it pretty? Oh never mind, let me show you the problem...

After assembling the foot (it's not clip on, sadly) I realised with horror that I could only sew with the fabric on the right hand side. I have adjustable needle but this was as far it could go. I know it's just a matter of getting used to always sewing with the fabric on the right but I really felt quite angry because this probably meant my dealer had sold me a zipper foot not meant for my sewing machine. They knew the model number I owned. I mean, wtf, rite? Despite everything, I managed to complete the zip pouch. Btw, the grip was soooooo much better. I contemplated calling up the dealer immediately asking for a refund or exchange it for another zipper foot which looked exactly like the one I already had. But the office was closed and I thought about shooting an email to the dealer. I was already forming the angry email in my head. Grr!

Then I had a feeling... an overwhelming deja vu. Wait, wait. It's there. Something. What is it? I can't quite grasp it yet. It's close. I can almost feel it.Then it hit me.

I'M THE BIGGEST DUMMY IN THE WORLD!

This has happened before. When I bought my first adjustable zipper foot, I too struggled with it until I realised the keyword is ADJUSTABLE.

Yep, I see the screw now and I can move the position of the foot. I'm just so glad I never emailed that angry letter or stormed down demanding a refund. Previously I too wanted to storm down to my Brother dealer to demand a refund.

the needle is in the center of the foot

This morning I discovered something even more wonderful. I managed to adjust the position of my needle and the zipper foot such that I am able to sew in the center of the zipper foot. You know what that means? Firstly, I no longer need to mark a line to follow. Secondly, the distance from the zipper teeth to the sewn line is exactly where I like to sew.

See how much space there is between the teeth and the fabric? I think I'm going to bitch so much less when I sew with zippers from now on.