I really want to get better at sewing. Honestly, the thought of adding a zipper shouldn’t fill me with fear, but sure enough, I avoided this step of the project like the plague. Thankfully, there were a few handy YouTube tutorials, and I think that I managed a passable finished project!

• Appropriate length and style of zipper
• Sewing needle and thread
• Sewing pins (optional)

YouTube Tutorial by Yarnspirations

Maybe this is another weakness on my part, but when I started this project, I had no idea where to buy a zipper, let alone a zipper that matched the colour of my fabric. When I stopped by the local craft store, I found plain black or white plastic ones of varying lengths, but that wasn’t what I had wanted as a finishing touch for this sweater that I had spent so long knitting. Upon the suggestion of the sweater’s designer, I found a cute Canadian Etsy shop (TheRaspberries) that had some solid options and would ship to me in time for the deadline! I ended up choosing a 9” closed zipper in Brown-Bronze, and it was everything I wanted. For reference, a closed zipper is great for things like quarter-zips or bags where the ends will stay together. An open zipper is great for things like jackets, where the two sides separate completely.

I cannot emphasize the importance of using sewing pins enough, as it helps to keep the zipper in the right spot as you sew so that you don’t end up with weird tension spots on the zipper. If you are particularly nervous about sewing, you can also do a really loose stitch in a contrasting thread colour, see if you are happy with it, and then sew it in more firmly with the correct thread colour once you are confident. After the zipper is in, you remove the contrasting thread. I know this seems like a lot of extra steps, but hey, it’s better than trying to pick out your stitches after you realize you’ve positioned it incorrectly.

It almost feels rude to tease you with a photo of this sweater without revealing the whole thing, but unfortunately the sweater isn’t the star of the show this week. You’ll have to check back in for another post, but I swear it will be worth the wait. The sweater is so cute and functional, and chances are that you will fall in love with it too.

Until next time, happy crafting!