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How To Neatly Sew a Centered Zip in the Middle of Fabric +Video

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A centered zipper installation is an easy way to sew a regular zip in a nearly invisible way. With this method, the zipper teeth are concealed under two flaps of fabric that meet at the center. This is a great technique to use when you don’t want your zipper to be exposed on your project, but you don’t want to use an invisible zipper. It’s commonly used in the center backs and fronts of dresses, jumpsuits, tops, skirts, and zippered hoodies or sweatshirts, but it can also be used when making pillowcases, zippered pouches, and other bags.

Although this technique allows you to hide the zipper in a seam, it involves doing some topstitching around the zipper to secure it in place. This prevents the zipper from being completely invisible, and you may not want visible topstitching on certain fabrics or projects. Hand-sewing the zipper into place will minimize the look of visible topstitching, but if you want a completely hidden zipper I recommend sewing an invisible zipper instead.

Contents list:

Preparation (install foot, prep fabric, machine settings):

How to install a zipper foot on your sewing machine:

A zipper foot is a presser foot that allows you to position the needle in a way that’s closer to the zipper teeth. There are different styles of zipper feet for domestic machines, but most of them feature cutouts on either side so the foot curves around the zipper teeth as you sew. With these models, you need to snap them onto your machine’s ankle from the left or right depending on which side of the zip you’re sewing on. 

  1. Start by removing the existing presser foot on your machine. On my machine (a Pfaff Ambition 630), this is done by simply pushing the presser foot down from the front, but on some machines you may need to pull the presser foot release lever to drop the existing foot.
  2. Next, decide on which side of the zip you’ll be sewing on. If you’re going to start sewing the left side of the zip, you’ll need to attach the ankle to the right side of the zipper foot, and vice versa.
  3. Once you know which side of the zipper foot you want to attach the ankle to, you can either push the foot up to the ankle or lower the ankle down towards the bar at the back of the foot until it snaps into place.

Machine settings:

  • Select a straight stitch with a length of 2.5 mm. 
  • Position the needle so it’s close to the zipper teeth. This is done by changing the stitch width or changing the needle position. Make sure you slowly turn the handwheel towards yourself to check that the needle isn’t hitting any part of the zipper foot and that it’s sewing close to the zipper teeth without piercing the actual teeth.

Preparation steps:

  1. Apply some lightweight fusible interfacing at the center back or front edges of your pattern pieces. The interfacing should be around the same width as your seam allowance or a little wider. The length should extend about 1” (2.5cm) below the bottom stopper of your zipper. You can either apply the interfacing strip by aligning its edge with the raw edge of your fabric, or center it on your seam line.
  2. Finish the center back or front edges of your pattern pieces. You can use a serger/overlocker machine, a mock overlock or zigzag stitch on your regular sewing machine, bias binding, or pinking shears depending on your fabric and project. For more instructions on how to finish the raw edges of fabric, I have a separate tutorial.

How to sew a centered zipper:

To sew a centered zipper to the center front or back of your garment, start by machine basting the area where the zip will go. Then place the zip face down onto the back of the basted seam, secure it into place with hand basting, and topstitch it from the right side. This will leave you with two flaps of fabric neatly meeting in the center to conceal the zipper, and a box-shaped top-stitching around the zipper. For the sake of this tutorial, I’m using a contrasting zipper and thread color so you can clearly see all the details, but you’ll want to use colors that match your fabric.

Uses:

  • Dresses
  • Skirts
  • Tops / blouses
  • Jumpsuits
  • Zippered hoodies / sweatshirts
  • Zippered pouches / bags
  • Pillowcases

Supplies:

  • The two back or front pieces of your garment with the center back / front edges finished
  • A regular zipper
  • Zipper foot
  • Standard presser foot
  • Hand sewing needle and thread for basting
  • All-purpose polyester thread for permanent stitches
  • Sewing machine
  • Iron
  • A clear quilting ruler
  • Fabric marking tool of your choice, or washi tape

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Start with your pattern pieces prepared according to the preparation steps above. Place the two pieces right sides together and pin along the center seam.
  2. Place your zipper on the center seam. The top of the zipper teeth should be placed just under the seam allowance at the top of the center seam. Place a pin or mark where the bottom stopper of the zipper lands on the center seam. 
  3. Set your sewing machine to a straight stitch with the longest possible stitch length. 
  4. Starting at the top, sew a basting stitch until you reach the marking / pin that you placed in Step 2.
  5. At the marking, stop and decrease your stitch length back to 2.5 mm. Continue to sew the center seam, making sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end. 
  6. Press the seam allowances open.
  7. Place the zipper face down to the back side of your center seam. The right side of the zipper (where the zipper teeth are) should be touching the wrong side of your fabric. The teeth should be centered around the center seam, and the top stopper should be once again just under the top seam allowance.
  8. Using a hand sewing needle and some cotton thread, hand-baste the zipper into place. I like to place a few pins first to keep the zipper in position as I’m basting it. As you’re sewing, make sure your needle is going through 3 layers at all times: The zipper tape, the seam allowances of the center seam, and the outer layer of fabric. Start from the bottom of the zipper and baste up one side. When you reach the top, break your thread and repeat on the other side. This directional basting will ensure flat results.
  9. Turn your work over so that you’re looking at the right side. Using your preferred method (as covered below), create a guideline for the topstitching you’ll do to secure the zipper into place. 
  10. Switch your presser foot to a zipper foot and set your sewing machine to a straight stitch with a slightly longer stitch length of 3 – 3.5 mm (depending on your fabric).
  11. You will now topstitch around the center seam and the zipper to permanently secure the zipper to the fabric. Place your fabric under the presser foot with the right side of the fabric facing up. Starting at either the right or left top corner, sew down until you reach the bottom corner. Lift your presser foot with the needle down, pivot 90 degrees, and lower it back down. Continue to sew until you reach the second bottom corner, and pivot again. Finish by sewing back up the other side.
  12. If you’re happy with how your stitching looks, remove the hand-basting stitches and the machine-basting stitches that you did in Steps 4 and 8.

Tips:

  • If you don’t want visible backstitching at the beginning and end of your topstitching, you can pull the thread tails to the back and knot them together.
  • If you don’t want to hand-baste your zip into place, you can also use some Wondertape to secure the zip to the seam allowance. The only downside is that with this method, you’ll only be securing the zip and the seam allowance, and there won’t be anything holding these two layers together with the rest of the garment.

How to hand-finish a centered zip for less visible topstitching:

A hand-sewn centered zipper follows the same steps as its machine-sewn counterpart, with the exception that the final topstitching that secures the zipper to the fabric is done by hand using prick stitches. The hand stitching allows us to achieve a less visible topstitching as well as granting us more control over the sewing process. The result is a beautiful, almost completely hidden zipper. You will also have more control of your stitches this way, and you can easily sew around the zipper pull.

Uses:

  • Sewing a centered zipper on more delicate fabrics like lace, silk, velvet, or heavily embroidered fabrics.
  • The center back or center front seams of dresses, skirts, jumpsuits, tops, zippered hoodies, etc.

Supplies:

  • The two back or front pieces of your garment with the center back / front edges finished
  • A regular zipper
  • Hand sewing needles in longer and shorter lengths (for basting and permanent stitches)
  • Cotton thread for basting
  • All-purpose polyester thread for permanent stitches
  • Sewing machine
  • Iron
  • A clear quilting ruler
  • Fabric marking tool of your choice
  • Thimble
  • Beeswax or another thread conditioner

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Start with your pattern pieces prepared according to the preparation steps above. Place the two pieces right sides together and pin along the center seam.
  2. Place your zipper on the center seam. The top of the zipper teeth should be placed just under the seam allowance at the top of the center seam. Place a pin or mark where the bottom stopper of the zipper lands on the center seam. 
  3. Set your sewing machine to a straight stitch with the longest possible stitch length. Starting at the top, sew a basting stitch until you reach the marking / pin that you placed in Step 2. If you’re hand sewing everything, use a short running stitch to baste this seam.
  4. At the marking, stop and decrease your stitch length back to 2.5 mm. Continue to sew the center seam, making sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end. If you’re hand sewing everything, use a short running stitch to baste this seam.
  5. Press the seam allowances open.
  6. Place the zipper face down to the back side of your center seam. The right side of the zipper (where the zipper teeth are) should be touching the wrong side of your fabric. The teeth should be centered around the center seam, and the top stopper should be once again just under the top seam allowance.
  7. Using a hand sewing needle and some cotton thread, hand-baste the zipper into place. I like to first place a few pins first to keep the zipper in position as I’m basting it. As you’re sewing, make sure your needle is going through 3 layers at all times: The zipper tape, the seam allowances of the center seam, and the outer layer of fabric. Start from the bottom of the zipper and baste up one side. When you reach the top, break your thread and repeat on the other side. This directional basting will ensure flat results.
  8. Turn your work over so that you’re looking at the right side. Using your preferred marking method (as covered below), create a guideline for the topstitching. 
  9. Thread your shorter hand sewing needle with a length of polyester all-purpose thread.
  10. (Optional) Run the thread through some beeswax. Melt the wax onto the thread using the warmth of your hands or a hot, dry iron. This will strengthen the thread and prevent tangles from forming as you’re sewing.
  11. You will now do a prick stitch to secure the zipper. A prick stitch is a type of back stitch that produces very small, dot-like stitches on the right side of the fabric and longer stitches on the wrong side. Starting at the bottom of the zipper, sew a few small stitches through the zipper tape and the seam allowance, without piercing the outside of the fabric. This will give you a secure base to work from.
  12. Once the thread is secured to the zipper tape and seam allowance, come up to the right side of the fabric exactly on the guideline you created in Step 8. Go back down into the fabric 2-3 threads behind where you originally came up.
  13. Come back up about ¼” (6 mm) away from your previous stitch. Go back down into the fabric 2-3 threads behind where you originally came up. Repeat this stitch until you reach the top edge. 
  14. Once you reach the top, push your needle to the wrong side and make a knot through the seam allowance and the zipper tape for an invisible finish. 
  15. Repeat Steps 11-14 for the other side of the zipper. 
  16. Remove the hand-basting stitches and the machine-basting stitches to reveal the zipper. Give it a final press with the iron to neaten everything up.

How to finish the top raw edge of a centered zipper with a facing:

In many cases, you’ll want to sew a facing to the top edge of your fabric for a clean finish. This applies to necklines of tops, dresses, or jumpsuits, and waistlines of skirts and trousers with no waistbands. Because of the centered zip application, you’ll need to take a few more steps to achieve a neat result around the zip. In this section, I’ll walk you through how to achieve a clean finish and perfectly aligned sides at the top of the zipper. I’ll be working on a sample that looks like the center back of a top and I’ll be showing you how to finish the neckline with a facing. I’m using a contrasting zipper and thread color here, but you’ll want to use colors that match your fabric.

Uses:

  • Achieve a clean result at the top of the zipper on garments with a neckline (like tops, dresses, and jumpsuits) or bottoms with no waistbands (like skirts and trousers).

Supplies:

  • The two back pieces of your garment with the center back edges interfaced and finished
  • Facing pieces that have been interfaced and their free edges have been finished
  • A regular zipper
  • Zipper foot
  • Standard presser foot
  • Hand sewing needle and thread for basting
  • All-purpose polyester thread for permanent stitches
  • Sewing machine
  • Iron
  • A clear quilting ruler
  • Fabric marking tool of your choice, or washi tape

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Start with your back pieces in front of you. The center back edges should be interfaced and finished as shown in the section on preparation. Position your zipper next to the center back edge so that the top stopper of the zipper is about 1” (2.5cm) down from the top edge of your pattern piece. On the wrong side of your fabric, mark the locations of the top and the bottom stoppers of the zipper.
  2. With the right sides of the fabric together, machine baste from the top neckline edge down to the second mark you’ve made indicating the location of the bottom stopper of your zipper. To do so, simply select a straight stitch and set your stitch length to the longest possible setting (4-6 mm). When you reach the second marking, switch to a regular stitch length of 2.5 mm, backstitch, and continue stitching down the center back.
  3. Press your seam allowances open.
  4. Center your zipper face down on the wrong side of the center back seam. The zipper teeth should be perfectly on top of the center back seam. Hand-baste or tape one side of the zipper tape to the fabric to keep the zipper centered as we work on the next step.
  5. Lift the untacked side of the seam allowance and the zipper tape off of the rest of the garment. Fold the rest of the garment away so that you’re only working with the two layers: the seam allowance and the zipper tape.
  6. Install your zipper foot and sew the zipper tape to the seam allowance. You don’t need to get super close to the zipper teeth in this step, you can sew about ¼” – ⅜” (6-10 mm) away from the teeth.
  7. Remove the hand-basting stitches or the tape from the other side of the zipper tape, and repeat steps 5-6 on the second side, once again only sewing through the seam allowance.
  8. On your facing pieces, trim the center back edges by ½” (1.25 cm).
  9. Measure the length of the center back edge of your facing piece and add ½” (1.25 cm) to this measurement. Back on your main garment piece, remove the machine basting holding the two center back pieces together by this length. 
  10. Match the raw edges of the center back seams on your main garment piece and your facing with the right sides facing. Stitch them together using a ¼” (6 mm) seam allowance. You may need to use a zipper foot here, and/or unzip the zipper a little to get the zipper pull out of the way. The zipper tape should be sandwiched between the seam allowance and the facing.
  11. Snip into the neckline at the center back seam allowance. Here I’m using a ⅝” (1.6 cm) seam allowance. Fold your fabric with the right sides touching at this snip so that the neckline edges of the main piece and the facing are perfectly matched. Make sure the zipper tape isn’t twisted inside.
  12. Pin and sew along the neckline edges, backstitching at the center back.
  13. Grade the seam allowances by trimming the seam allowance of the facing to half its original width. Clip into the seam allowances along the curve for a smooth finish.
  14. Turn your facing piece right side out and press. At this point, the zipper should be encased within the outer and facing pieces, and your outer piece should be folded towards the inside of the garment. Check to see if the two sides of the neckline are perfectly matching. If not, turn the piece inside out again and stitch to correct this mistake.
  15. Now that the facing is properly sewn in, it’s time to add the topstitching that secures all three layers (the zipper, the seam allowance, and the rest of the garment) together. Because the zipper is already sewn to the seam allowance, you don’t need to hand-baste to keep all the layers together. Instead, use the marking or the tape method from the “How to mark the stitching line around the zipper” section below to create a guideline for your topstitching. 
  16. Starting from the bottom, stitch up one of the sides using a slightly longer stitch length of 3 or 3.5 mm. Leave long tails at the neckline edge.
  17. For the other side, start where you started the previous stitching. Sew across the bottom, pivot 90 degrees at the corner, and once again stitch up the other side. Leave long tails at the neckline edge.
  18. Pull the long thread tails to the back of the garment, tie them in a double or triple knot, and trim the excess off.
  19. Remove the rest of the machine basting stitches, and give everything a final press with the iron.

How to mark the topstitching line around the zipper:

Use a marking tool like chalk or water-erasable markers

Using a clear quilting ruler and the marking tool of your choice, draw a line parallel to the center seam, about ¼” (6mm) away from the center seam. You can use chalk, soap, water or heat erasable pens, or disappearing markers.

Use washi / masking tape

If you don’t want to mark the right side of your fabric with any marking tools, you can also use a length of washi tape or masking tape in the right width. Simply stick the tape so that one of its edges is touching the center seam, and sew along the other edge. Most washi tapes don’t have a very strong glue so it shouldn’t leave a residue on your fabric, but always test it on a scrap piece of fabric to make sure it won’t damage it.

If you can’t find tape in the correct width, you can also use any width of tape by sticking it to the outside of the guide rather than the inside. Lay down your quilting ruler so that it’s sticking out by ¼” (6 mm) away from the center seam, and stick the tape along the ruler. 

Another alternative is to use a tape that is ½” (1.2 cm) wide and stick it by centering it on the center seam. This way, you’ll just need to sew around both sides.

Hand-baste

As you’re hand-basting the zipper to the fabric, you can make sure your basting stitches are perfectly parallel and evenly spaced from the center seam. This way, you can just follow your hand basting as a guide when permanently stitching the zipper down.

Use the edge of your presser foot as a guide

If you’re feeling particularly confident, you can also just use the edge of your presser foot as a guide. To do so, just align one edge of the presser foot with the center seam, and change the position of your needle to achieve a ¼” (6 mm) distance from the center seam.

Troubleshooting problems:

The topstitching looks wonky and curves around the zipper pull.

Make sure you completely push the zipper pull out of the way as you approach it. You can simply push it to the opposite side using a stick, or move it up or down so that it’s completely out of the way.

The two sides of the topstitching look like they are pulling the fabric in opposite directions, and the fabric is creating a rippling effect around the stitching.

This may be caused when you do the topstitching by starting from the top, pivoting at the bottom corners, and finishing by sewing up the other side. Because you’re sewing the two sides in opposite directions (first down and then up) the fabric may be pulling in opposite directions as well. Certain fabrics can handle this but in slipperier, more delicate fabrics you’re more likely to experience this problem. To prevent it, start your stitching at the bottom, and sew up both sides in the same direction (as described in the facing tutorial).

Quick Q&A’s:

Centered zipper definition?

A centered zipper installation is a technique that’s used to sew a regular zip in a concealed way. The zipper teeth are hidden under two flaps of fabric that meet at the center.

Where would a centered zipper application be used?

In garment making, a centered zipper is commonly used in the center back seams of dresses, skirts, and tops; as well as the center front seams of jumpsuits / boiler suits and zippered sweatshirts or hoodies. For home textiles and accessories, you can use it as a closure for pillowcases, zippered pouches, and other bags.

What to read next:

This article was written by Nisan Aktürk and edited by Sara Maker.

Nisan Aktürk (author)
Nisan started her sewing journey in December 2019 and already has a fully handmade wardrobe. She’s made 50+ trousers, 20+ buttoned shirts, and a wide array of coats, jackets, t-shirts, and jeans. She’s currently studying for her Sociology Master’s degree and is writing a thesis about sewing. So she spends a lot of her time either sewing or thinking/writing about sewing! Read more…

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