Center front zipper installed

I can’t show you pictures of the zipper insertion at center front. It was difficult to make clear photos because the zipper is in between two layers of fabric and I stopped making them. Only the result to show:

As you will have seen the center front of the jacket was interfaced with an extra strip of interfacing. When installing a zipper this is extra important, when your fabric stretches you will get ripples or a “wavy” zipper.

For this jacket the front and back facing was sewn together. The zipper was basted to the front exactly between the marks for it. I had adjusted the pattern to the closest default zipper length available so that I didn’t have to shorten or order a special length.

Then the facing and jacket were pinned, right sides together. For the zipper part I used the zipper foot as you’ve seen in the installing of the pockets. For the remaining parts of the seams I used my normal foot. The facing of the side panel hem still has to be attached and for that reason I left a few centimeters open at the hem.

Vicky asked “When you say you do both at the same time - do you do one step on one pocket and then the same step on the other pocket? Or do one full pocket and then the other, but in the same sewing session?”  The answer is the first option: in this case one step on one pocket and then on the other pocket. It helps to do exactly the same on both sides of a garment, but also reduces changes in a foot on your machine, different thread if needed and I don’t have to remember a stitch length setting (for topstitching).