Reed Sew-Along: View C & D Zipper & Waistband

Today we'll be inserting the zipper and assembling & attaching the waistband of the View C & D Reed Skirts. There are a LOT of steps to this one, 37 images to be exact, so we're breaking it down into two sections. Let's start with assembling the waistbands.

Assembling the Waistbands

To begin, align the side seams of the front and back waistbands with the wrong sides together.

Sew the front and back waistbands together and press the seam allowances open. Grade the seam allowances of one of the waistbands as shown.

 

Now align the lower edge of the waistband with the waistline of the skirt matching the ends and side seams with right sides together. Sew along the waistline.

Grade the seam allowance of the waistband buy trimming it in half.

Press the seam allowance and the waistband up, away from the skirt. Now we're ready to insert our invisible zipper!

Inserting the Invisible Zipper

Take your invisible zipper and press the teeth flat, away from the zipper tape, as shown above. 

Now align the zipper as shown. The zipper will be facing down on the right side of the skirt, and the top zipper stop should fall 3/4" from the top edge of the waistband and the end will fall at or below the single notch at center back. The edge of the zipper tape will fall 1/8" in from the center back edge of the skirt. Pin in place.

Now using an invisible zipper foot, sew the zipper from the top at the waistband edge, down towards the pull at the bottom.

Close the zipper and clip a notch on the unsewn zipper tape at the point where the waistband seam hits.

Pin the other edge of the zipper to the skirt. As before the right side of the zipper should be facing down and the right side of the skirt is facing up. The top stop should fall 3/4" below the top edge of the waistband and the notch you made in the zipper tape will align with the waistband seam. Make sure the zipper isn't twisted and pin in place.

Sew from the waistband down to the bottom of the zipper as you did for the other side. Your skirt now looks like this at center back.

Here's a close up of the lower edge of the zipper at this point.

Here you can see the notch matching up with the waistline seam. At  point close your zipper to make sure the waistline seam matches across the zipper. If it's off the time to correct it is now!

Now align the center back between the two points marked on the pattern and pin. We're going to stitch this 2" section with a regular zipper foot since a standard foot will be unable to get the needle close enough to the zipper to prevent a pucker from forming where the zipper ends. 

Now head over to your machine and sink your needle right at the point where the stitching from attaching the zipper ends. Lower your presser foot and sew down to the other point marked on the pattern.

Here you can see what the back of the skirt looks like once that 2" section is sewn. You can see by sinking the needle in that particular spot you avoid having any sort of pucker and you're free to continue sewing the center back seam!

Here's a full view of your skirt at this point in the process.

 

Now turn the skirt wrong side out and align the rest of the center back seam. If you're sewing View D as shown here, make sure not only the triple notches match but also the seam line for the hem extension. Pin in place and sew using your regular machine foot.

 

Turn the skirt right sides out and give it a press. Topstitch along the center back seam line 1/4" out on either side as you did for the front and side seams. We're now ready to finish assembling the waistband!

Finishing the Waistband

With right sides together, align the other waistband with the one attached to the skirt, matching edges and side seams.

Sew the two waistbands together.

Grade the seam allowance of the waistband you just attached by trimming its seam allowance in half.

Press the seam allowance and graded waistband up, away from the skirt.

Understitch through the loose waistband and seam allowance, then press the waistband to the inside of the skirt.

Now we'll prep to finish the edges of the waistband. Start by folding the zipper and seam allowance at the edge of the waistband to the inside of the skirt. Press.

Now fold the seam allowance at the raw edge of the waistband to the wrong side and press.

Press the waistband down again, making sure that the edge of the waistband doesn't touch the zipper teeth. Adjust the folded edge if necessary. If the fabric hits too close to the teeth they'll block the pull from going to the top!

Start pinning and work your way around the skirt, until all the raw edges are pressed under along the seam line.

This is what your waistband should look like pressed and pinned, ready to be sewn.

Grab a length of thread and a needle. Tie a knot in one end of the thread and begin slipstitching the loose edge of the waistband down. In the previous waistband tutorial we stitched in the ditch but because of the ends that meet the zipper that isn't an ideal way to finish this waistband.

Continue working around the waistband until all the edges are secured in place.

That's it for the waistband and zipper! In the next post we'll be finishing and hemming, which means putting the hook and eye into this skirt, inserting the buttonholes and sewing on the buttons, and hemming both versions. We'll see you back here for that post!

If you have any questions just let us know in the comments below.