Exposed Zipper - Tutorial

I think I am a little burned out on the ruffle craze. I feel it's a bit over saturated. Maybe that is why I have been pretty enamored with the exposed zipper. It's a 180 from ruffles and a nice refreshing break! I like it's clean line, industrial look and eye catching detail. What's also great about it, is that it is easy to accomplish this look yourself with just a few simple steps. I guess it's the one thing zippers and ruffles do have in common!

I started with this dolman sleeve shirt I bought at Old Navy earlier this year. I think a scoop neck or boat neck would work best for this project.

It just happens to have a seam that runs down the back of the shirt. A nice, but not needed detail!

I bought a zipper with metal teeth because the contrast of fabric and metal hardware is really what it is all about! I measured how far down I needed to cut my fabric and marked it.

After making the cut, I then cut pieces of fusible bonding the length of the zipper. I used a hot iron to press the zipper to the shirt to stabilize it while sewing. This is soooo much easier than pinning it!

I used the fusible bonding to hold the top edges over the collar of the shirt.

I also used it to hold the bottom fold of the zipper down until I could sew it. I first used a piece to hold the fold, then another to adhere the zipper to the shirt.

Next, I stitched along the outside edge of the zipper making sure to run along the bottom and back stitch along the top where it meets the collar.

And that was it! It was so easy! It only cost me $4.00, took me about 45 minutes to complete and I love the statement it makes!

I like my zipper on the back, but don't be afraid to try it on the front as well!

Linking this project to my favorite sites! Find them HERE!