How’s everyone’s Ziggi coming along? Hopefully everyone has survived the zippered pocket construction and are ready finish your moto! As we move on to front assembly of the jacket, you may have found that purchasing an appropriately sized zipper difficult. So, what do you do when you can’t find what you want? You could always take to internet (some online retailers will cut to size the zipper length you need) or you could DIY it! I know what your thinking, metal zippers look impossible to shorten yourself, but when you have the right tool, it takes just minutes to fix!

The first thing you need is a pair of Nipper Pliers (sometimes they also called End Nippers) – which is pictured on the left. Often times you can purchase these nippers online from zipper stores (around $20), but they are typically much more expensive than finding them at your local home store (or if you husband has an extensive tool chest, chances are you already have them!) – I found mine as a set with several other pliers for around $10.

Now determine the length you want your finished zipper to be. I placed my zipper on the “Front Main” pattern piece along the “Left Zip” marking. Make sure that the bottom, zipper stop is even with at the hash mark on the bottom edge of the pattern. Keep the zipper along the pattern edge and make a mark on the zipper tape to indicate the top, seam edge of the pattern. You could also use a ruler to adjust to the size called for in the pattern (20, 21, or 22″ depending on the pattern size you are making). However, I found that while my pattern calls for a 20″ zipper, the length needed is actually 1/4″ more than what is noted in the materials section of the pattern. Why does this happen? If you notice, there are several size ranges listed for one size zipper (for example a 20″ zipper is needed for sizes 4-12) – since patterns are adjusted both length and width slightly, it only stands to reason that there will be a few variances within that range.

The mark you just made on your zipper tape will be your new zipper stop. Unzip your zipper past this point and begin removing the metal teeth, starting at the mark you made. The nipper pliers will ‘grab’ the metal teeth so all you need to do is pull straight forward and they will pop off – there should be no need to twist to remove them so you don’t need to worry about damaging the zipper tape. Continue removing the metal teeth on both sides of the tape about 1″ above your mark.

If you are able to find “zipper stops” in the notions isle your store, go ahead and apply them at the mark you made on your zipper tape. If not, you need to do what I do and remove them from the zipper tap and reattach them. I found that a standard set of pliers work much better than the nippers and pulling them off. Once removed, you will probably have to pry the stop open slightly so that it will easily fit onto the new zipper tape location easily. Once on, use your (standard) pliers to crimp it back into place. Voila! Your new zip is ready for action!

Note: You can see my new zipper is at the top of this post – I left the teeth on the top edge just to show you how I made mine, but be sure to snip off the tape where you stopped removing metal teeth before you start sewing.

If you’re following along in our Ziggi sew along then you know we’re up to what is probably the most challenging portion of the pattern – The Zippered Pocket. What makes it so challenging? The instructions are lousy. Have no fear, Maris’ post  will help clear things up and make it much simpler!  But wait, if you’ve never made a zippered pocket like this before, I highly recommend you watching this Sew Gertie Welt Pocket With Exposed Zipper  video first. While it’s not exactly the same as what we’ll be sewing for the Ziggi, it is along the same principal (she’s creating a welt in once piece of fabric, we have two. her pocket bag is one piece ours is two) and should definitely help you ‘see’ what we’ll be doing in today’s post. Plus Gertie is a great teacher and you can apply these techniques to future projects as well.

My finished pocket is featured on the left. For my version, I used a lightweight black, cotton instead of organza for the pocket window (I didn’t have organza to start with and the black cotton was the same color as my leather). I also did not lengthen my pocket length any since I had already cut my fabric(s) prior to sewing this area and didn’t have any lining material to spare so that I could recut. Lastly, I followed Shams suggestion of stitching the pocket width to 7/8″ when making the window. This gave me plenty of exposed zipper to work with, but it also makes for some seriously careful stitching when attaching your pocket bags – there’s just not a lot of material to work with to attach it to (maybe 1/8″?).

WHEW! Now the hardest part is behind us! Give yourself a huge pat on the back for putting this section together successfully and be sure to take a few minutes to admire your work before we move on! Questions? Comments? You can leave them here, on Maris’ post, or share with our Flickr group!  Missed a post? You can catch up here:

• Welcome To The Ziggi (cutting & leather info)
• Constructing The Collar & Leather Tips
• Creating the Backside & Top Stitching Basics

What do you give the (new) mom who has everything? A very cool burp cloth that not only holds a bottle, but keeps it warm.

Easy to wear, but dressy enough for the office: The Asymmetrical Sheath Dress.

I think the new trend in (small) purses are frames because I’ve been seeing them a lot lately. This linen and lace version has a nice ‘dressed up’ feel.

It’s not secret that my favorite style of knit tops is raglan. Now it’s easy to make the little ones shirts this style too.

These fabric covered notebooks would make the perfect gift (especially for teachers). Add a journal pen holder and it’s even better.

There may still be snow on the ground, but I’m dreaming of the beach when I look at these seahorse pillows.

A different take on the high-low skirt style – this version has a faux wrap look.

It won’t be too long before your kids will be running around outside with one of these tanks from Fishsticks Designs.

Need more seating? Make some poofs! I guarantee your kids will fight over who gets to sit on it!

Not only is this messenger bag large enough to hold all your essentials, it’s reversible – so it’s two bags in one!

Keep the dust off your machine when you’re not using it with this easy machine cover tutorial.

Need a shirt that’s casual, quick to whip up, and goes with almost everything? Check out this Shoreline Boatneck Shirt. Make it even more fun by adding a sequin phrase\word to the front, too!

I’m still on the fence as to how I feel about cocoon coats\cardigans, so free tutorials and patterns are always a great way to test out the design. Here’s one for a casual cardi and a dressier coat.

If I could hashtag today’s post, it would read: #TooManyIronsInTheFire. Generally, I like to sew one project at a time – I seem to work best when I am not so spread out. But somehow, I’ve managed to start not one, not two, but 4 things at once (with a 5th in the ‘planning stage’)! In addition to our Ziggi, I’ve begun work on an article (with a sample), a commissioned piece, and am testing a bag pattern for a fantastic designer! My dilemma? I love all of them so much, I’m having a hard time deciding what to work on each day! So, today’s post is a glimpse of something I’ve recently started – it’s fun, cheerful, and I can’t wait to finish it so I can ‘get the project out of my head’ and see it completed in fabric…. that, by far, is my favorite part of sewing. What’s yours?

Now that the collar is finished, it’s time to tackle the back of the jacket.  This part of the instructions is fairly straightforward. However, if you haven’t decided if you want to top stitch or not, now’s the time to decide!

Why bother top stitching your Ziggi?

• It makes bulky fabrics ‘behave’. If you’re working with leather, wool, or denim, chances are you’ll find that your seams never quite lay flat enough. Top stitching helps tame weighty material and smooth garment seams for a polished look.
• It adds interest to your finished garment (to add even more interest you can use a contrasting thread). This style of jacket typically has quite a bit of top stitching, however, if you’re going for a ‘dressier’ look, you may want to skip it.
• If you’ve decided to leave your jacket unlined, it’s a nice way to create a more finished interior look (especially if your material doesn’t ravel).

Top Stitching Basics

• Always lengthen your stitch (especially when top stitching heavier fabrics). Using longer stitches will keep them from ‘sinking’ into your material, make them smoother in appearance, and more visible on your garment.
• Most top stitching is done 1/16 – 1/8″ away from the seam line.
• Press. Press. Press. A good press before top stitching will help produce crisp lines for a professional finish.
• Don’t be afraid to adjust the tension on your machine. Doing this can help prevent puckers (tighten your tension) or too tight stitches (loosen your stitches).
• Sew slowly. This helps give you precise results – no wants a wonky line!
• Save your scraps! Before you start top stitching on your actual garment, practice on some fabric scraps. This allows you to gauge what tension settings and stitch length is necessary to produce your desired results.

Now that we’ve talked about top stitching it’s time to dig in and start the back of your jacket! To start, you’ll need 3 pieces: The center back (2 pieces), lower back (1 piece), and the hem facing (1 piece). By now you’ve probably noticed the illustration shows the center back is one piece, but as we all discovered when cutting, it’s two – go ahead and sew these two pieces together at the center seam (indicated by the C\BK label on the pattern piece, I’ve also highlighted it in the photo with a green line). If you’ve decided to add top stitching in this area be sure to put it in place prior to the next step.

Next, attach the lower center back section to your completed center back piece (the ‘notch’ of the lower back section will match up with the center back seam) and top stitch, if desired. Lastly, sew the hem facing to the lower back section (do not top stitch this section) – your jacket back should look like this right now:

To finish up the backside, you’ll want to take the (2) back side pieces and attach them to either side of the constructed jacket back (don’t forget to top stitch when you’re done). The notches help match everything up and I found that it came together nicely.

Looking good, right? You can really see the shaping taking place in your jacket already!

If you haven’t headed over there yet, now’s a good time to check out Maris’ post on creating your Ziggi collar! There’s lots of great tips and tricks that can be applied not just to this jacket, but any future ones that you’ll stitch up.

If you’ve chosen leather, you’ve probably seen it repeated a million times (it’s even on the Ziggi Instructions!): Never Iron Leather. Touching a hot iron can ruin the hide, make dull spots, leave burnt marks on the material, etc. In short, leather can be a pain in the rear to achieve crisp edges and to makes it impossible to apply fusible interfacing….. sort of. I present to you my rule breaking press cloth: The Rajah. If you haven’t heard about this notion let me give you the low down: This press cloth is lined with chemicals that when dampened (and ironed) set pleats\hems and release stubborn wrinkles – it’s fabulous and works great (you can even wash it and use it up to 1000 times!). Quite some time ago, I saw a tip from You Sew Girl that she was using a Rajah to add fusible interfacing to leather when creating purses…. and it worked well without marring the leather (I should probably add that in addition to the Rajah, I reduce the heat of my iron as well and never leave my iron in one place too long). As with anything, it’s always a good idea to test on a scrap piece of your material\hide before applying it to your garment.

If you don’t have a Rajah press cloth, what’s your next step? Depending on the weight\stiffness of your leather, you may be able to skip interfacing all together. However, if your collar still needs a bit of support, you can baste a non-fusible interfacing to the wrong side of a collar piece, just outside the seam lines. Lastly, you can try making your own press cloth by using a damp towel over you leather (I’ve heard about this being done in purse making forums when attempting to set in folds for straps) – once again, be sure to test on a scrap piece of your material before trying this on your garment fabric!

Note: If you’re interested in purchasing your own Rajah cloth, they are being sold at a number of online retailers (Vogue Fabrics, Nancy’s Notions) as well as on Amazon and eBay.

Edited to Add: I concentrated a lot on the Rajah cloth and leather, but forgot to mention that if you’re working with wool, it’s a great tool too! Using this press cloth keeps you from getting a shine when you press your seams open on woolen fabrics.

Sometimes social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) is a wonderful thing. I find that when designers give previews of upcoming (typically sewing) patterns, it not only gets my creative juices flowing, but I start planning for the upcoming project. The Get Carded wallet from Dog Under My Desk  was one of those patterns – as soon as she posted a prototype of the design, I was hooked (in fact, I may have harassed her a few times as to how much longer the pattern was going to come out). As soon as it came out, I purchased it and started cutting, but other commitments got in the way of me finishing it until this week. I love the end result…. and so did my daughter because she is using it now (she said it looks very Vera Bradley).

For my version, I went with the clear ID front pocket with the ruffled zippered area. It took about 90 minutes (maybe not even that much) to sew after everything was cut and fused together and all the pieces came together nicely. In fact, with a lot of wallet patterns there’s usually a lot of bulk to contend with (especially when you start adding a lot of interior pockets), but I didn’t have any problems with the Get Carded since only portions of the pockets (not the ‘full pocket’) are interfaced. The best part (IMHO), however, is sewing the front and back pieces together and turning right side out – you see there’s a ‘flap’ that is left open and topstitched in place so there’s no hand sewing necessary. Not only is that a cool technique, it allows you to slip a piece of heavyweight interfacing between the wallet to give it more support without having to contend with sewing the bulk.  I will also admit that I like the continuous loop strap as well, but nothing can beat skipping the hand sewing in my book!

The Bottom Line: If you’re in the market for a small wallet\wristlet that you can make for yourself, I highly recommend Get Carded. Not only does it have some clever and unique features, it sews up quickly and has great instructions which makes it perfect for an advanced beginner (I’d recommend that the individual have some sewing experience prior to working with this pattern since there are several techniques like gathering and fabrics such a clear vinyl that might be problematic for an extreme beginner).  I can definitely see myself sewing this one up again – I’m thinking it would make a fabulous present this Mother’s Day!

I may have a pincushion addiction. This Caravan Patchwork pincushion is definitely a new favorite.

Free baby leggings pattern!

Going somewhere? The Ellie Travel Case will hold all your stuff for the trip!

Keep all your nighttime necessities handy with this bedside organizer.

Skip the chicks and bunnies this Easter and make some lambs instead (they look so much cuddlier too!)!

Speaking of Easter Chicks, this tutorial will teach you how to which up a quick chicken pouch that’s just large enough to hide a chocolate egg inside.

Baskets are a great way to store and organize your belongings while bringing a bit of interest to your home. Of course, there’s lots of ways to do it. Follow these instructions for a tribal batik bucket and this one for a woven basket.

Dressing up? This easy, clip-on bow tie will have you looking schnazy in minutes!

It’s Kitchen Week at Sew4Home and while I don’t normally like to cover my appliances, I love the colors and design of this Toaster Cover so much, I might consider it!

Win a beautiful fat quarter bundle.

I love fun and unique bags. Lipsie the Pocket Girl definitely fits the bill.

Amy Butler has a new quilt pattern out and once again, it’s gorgeous.

If you headed over to GoToPatterns this weekend, you may have seen my face as their “Sew and Tell”  project of the week(end). I had a great opportunity to stitch up their Go To Cape and give a brief review for their blog… as you can see I finished it up just in time to get some use out of it (we had a great deal of snow on the ground when these photos were taken)!

There’s lots of design opportunities to make this pattern your own, However, I just went with topstitching all the seams (because I LOVE the way it looks) and two button tabs on the top of the coat. You can check out my fabric choices, thoughts about the pattern, and a few more photos on the GoToSew website!

Apparently, I am a glutton for punishment because I didn’t just stop at making lame (not ‘lame’, but ‘la-may’…. I just can’t seem to find the ‘e’ with the little accent right now!) appliques, I decided that I needed to make piping too!  Actually, it went much smoother than what I anticipated – largely because I used a metallic needle to prevent snags and kept the handling of the lame to a minimum (so it wouldn’t fray). I am totally in love with the end result – lots of hours spent on it, but I think the hard work payed off.

Now it’s time to sit in front of the computer and write the instructions for this one up. Yes, you’ll be seeing more of this guy a few months down the road from now. Until then, I’m marking this one off my ‘to do list’ so I can concentrate on my Ziggi!