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Top Tips To Work With Metal Trims

These metal trims stand out easily and have a bold look to them. However, applying them on the piece of garment you are making is not as hard as you may think. Here is the step-by-step guide on how to install these decorations.

I usually sew metal zipper tape on to decorate and I find it quite easy, more like pipping. Please note that there are other types of metal trims but in this article will talk about the zipper tape only.

Zipper tape can make cool decoration

You want to sew it between two layers of fabrics. If you can handle three layers at a time, it’s fine. But if you want to make your life easier, first baste the trim and a layer of fabric. Then you will have to deal with only two layers, not three.

All you need to prepare is one of the  best rated sewing machines for beginners, a zipper foot, and lots of patience.

Always go slowly to make sure the needle does not hit the metal part. Some of the consequences if this happens are broken needles or a damaged sewing machine.

Put the metal zipper on the seam allowance of the project. Check again to make sure the teeth are beyond the raw edge so that people can see them. You are decorating after all. For example, you need the teeth to be ½” from the edge. Your seam allowance is also measured ½”. So the tape should be 1/8” from the edge. Depend on the actual measurement of your project to set these figures accordingly.

Use a zipper foot and straight stitches to baste the tape on one of the two layers. You want to sew on the right side, not the other way around.

A regular zipper foot can handle most of the situations but in case you want to sew close to the teeth, an adjustable zipper foot or a narrow base zipper foot are quite useful. On some machines, you can even move the needle close to the teeth. If you want to know which machine allows you to do this, read this Ultimate Guide To Best Sewing Machine For Beginners Reviews And Comparison  to find out.

When you are done basting, sandwich the zipper between the two layers of fabric and pin or baste to keep them in place.

An adjustable zipper foot

Now sew the project together. At this point, you are working with all three layers. Two are the fabric and one is the zipper.

When you are done, it’s time for the last step to end up with a beautiful metal trim. Fold the two fabric layers on the side and let the teeth of the tape come out.

If you do everything right, the layers should be wrong sides together and the teeth are revealed, making a cool decoration for your sewing project.

Since you are here, I just wrote an article on  Helpful Guide To Best Starter Sewing Machine For Beginners Reviews And Comparison that has all of my experience with these machines. You might want to check it out.