WIP: Something in Silk lapped zipper placket

I’ve been working hard on my Something in Silk Dress and I’m pleased to say that it’s currently hanging on my dress form, Ena (EE-na), who is named after the woman who so kindly gave it to me when she outgrew it.

If you’ve missed the progress, catch up here:

WIP: Something in Silk

WIP: Something in Silk test garment

WIP: Something in Silk facings and French seams

I just completed the lapped side seam zipper, a detail often seen on vintage garments and patterns but rarely found in modern wear. Whenever I use a less common (i.e. vintage/couture) method in sewing I almost always turn to my Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, original copyright 1976, renewed 1978.

This 1-1/2″ thick behemoth of a text is just about the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand sewing book I’ve come across, modern, vintage, or otherwise. It’s old enough to have the classic vintage construction methods I’m looking for but modern enough to have a little info sprinkled in about newer concepts like working with knits and machines with zig-zag and buttonhole features.

Though I’ve done lapped zippers before, I always like a little visual reinforcement to give me the confidence to go ahead with it. I turned to the 14 page section on zippers. Fourteen pages on zippers – impressive, yes, but not as impressive as 18 different methods for bound buttonholes!  That doesn’t even count hand-worked or machine buttonholes. I highly recommend this book if you can find it. I picked mine up in a thrift store for a very reasonable price ($12 maybe?) and grabbed another a few months later at a used book store for $5 to give to my sewing student.

Anyway, back to zippers. This section reminded me that I should hand-pick the zipper for an extra special finish on this silk rather than machine top stitch. So here is my lovely (albeit wrinkly because I just tried it on) hand-picked lapped zipper placket.  I’m fairly pleased with it though the rapidly fraying edges gave me plenty of hassle as I tried to use Hong Kong finishes on them between the French seams above and below the placket. The hand-picking was a breeze after that.

Tomorrow: hemming. Perhaps I’ll reference the 24 page section on hems before I choose my method!