I just finished making another pair of pants with the pattern I have refined from the Sew U book. I’ll hopefully get some photos for you soon (the sun has come back out here at last!).

The thing is that I have now done three muslins and two pair of actual pants from this pattern and when I was finished with this pair, I realized that the zipper installation is still not looking professional, because it lacks the proper overlap. There should be 1/4″ or so of fabric on the bottom layer (technically the right side fly) before the zipper tape starts, otherwise the zipper tape has a tendency to peak out. Here’s what it is *supposed* to look like. There is a labeled version of this photo at the bottom of the post.



I’m really happy with this pair of pants, but once I finished them, I started obsessing with how to get the perfect zipper installation. Lying in bed around 11pm last night, I thought I had it figured out. And my brain would not let me sleep until I got up and tested it.

I had originally been thinking that this pattern just wasn’t designed to achieve this 1/4″ overlap, but it turns out that I was just having a mental block about the whole thing. By midnight I had done a sample installation (with pins so as not to wake the husband who was hopefully sleeping on the other side of the wall), updated all my notes on how to assemble this pattern, and taken some photos for the record.

I thought some of you who are wanting to try making the Sew U pants (or some other pants) might appreciate my few insights. Or maybe it’s perfectly obvious to you. Either way, here are my midnight, pin-basted photos and notes on how to install this zipper. For details on seam allowances and finishing details I have left out, see the Sew U book.

This pattern starts with two identical front pieces and a right fly piece. The right fly is supposed to be sewn with right sides together and turned right-side out. I skipped that part here, because it was going to be hard to do with pins and didn’t make a difference in my visualization of how this worked. Also, I have labeled my steps to correspond to the steps in Sew U under “1. FLY” on page 166.

Step A: Sew the two front pieces, right sides together, from the crotch to the front dot (at the bottom of the zipper), backstitching at the end. Then baste from the front dot where you just stopped, up the front to the top edge.

Step B. With wrong sides facing up, trim the right side fly extension to 3/4″. Clip and finish as instructed in the book.

Step C. This is the step where you sew the right fly and turn it right side out. Follow the book instructions.

Step D. Lay the two front pieces right sides together with the right side fly extension lying open to the right. Line up the zipper face down so that the teeth are centered on the basted front center seam and the teeth start about 1/2″ down from the top of the pants front (this is because these pants use 1/2″ seams — normally this would be more like 5/8″ because you’d be using 5/8″ seams).



Stitch the zipper onto the right side fly extension that you trimmed to 3/4″ in Step B (and NOT to the pants front), with the stitching running approximately 1/4″ in from the right edge of the zipper teeth. Do this however you like. I secured mine with Wash Away Wonder Tape (just discovered this — fabulous invention!) before stitching. This positioning of the stitching is key, because it leaves 1/4″ to 3/8″ of the right side seam allowance “free” in the front. You’ll see in the next step.

Step E. Leave the two pants front sections lying to the left and flip the zipper and right side fly extension/seam allowance to the right so you are looking at the right side of the zipper (as opposed to the wrong side, not as opposed to the left side). See that extra bit of the right side fly extension/seam allowance that extends between the basted center seam and the zipper? That’s a good thing! That will provide you with the overlap so that the zipper and all the zipper tape is slightly recessed behind the overlapping left fly piece.



**I think my brain cramp was that I thought originally, “This is the seam allowance, so I must need to minimize how much of this we are seeing.” Nope. Not even close. We WANT to see some of this!**

Now, slip that right fly from Step C underneath the zipper and right side fly extension/seam allowance and stitch these together. Be sure you are catching all three in the seam. Remember there is only about 1/4″ of zipper tape under that right side seam allowance that is folded back, so 1/8″ from the edge of the fold is probably good.



Step F. Now fold the zipper back over to the left so that it is lying on the left fly extension. Lay the pants front sections over to the right, so that you don’t sew through them. Stitch down the left side of the zipper, pretty much anywhere you want.



Step G/H. Turn the pants over to the right side and topstitch over the left side fly (which is on the right when you are looking from the front). I do all the topstitching from the front instead of starting from the wrong side as suggested. I think it comes out much nicer this way. Add the bar tack at the bottom to secure the right fly to the front.



One other tip here — especially if you are using a metal zipper, be sure that you trim the zipper (if it was too long) so that it is shorter than where the topstitching is going to run. That way you don’t have to worry about stitching over the zipper teeth. Stitching over the teeth is much harder to do with a metal zipper than a plastic zipper, and will make your stitching look really wonky (and dull your needle, if not break it!).



And there you have it. Midnight revelations on the installation of zippers in pants. I wish I had figured it out before I made this second pair of pants, but having gotten this all out of my head, mocked up, notes made, and photos taken, I was finally able to sleep (after also watching the most recent episode of Glee on Hulu and looking at jackets I might want to have copied when we go to Hoi An, home of expert overnight inexpensive tailoring!).

Actual photos of the new pants to follow, and hopefully another post for you with tips on how to give your clothes that professional look!

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