Using Continuous Zipper

1. Cut the zipper to the length you want the final zipper to be plus 1". Lightly sear the cut edges of the zipper tape.

Separate the zipper teeth about two inches. Slide the pull onto the tape and align the two ends of the zipper tape. Keep adjusting until the two ends of the tape line up; it make take some fiddling to get the ends even.

2. Once the slider is installed and the ends lined up, separate the rest of the zipper and then use the zipper pull to zip up the zipper to within a few inches of the end. Use nippers or scissors (not your fabric shears) to cut off about 1/3 " of the coils. You can then pull out the other half of the coil. Lightly sear the area you nipped just in case you caught the fabric a little.

3. Install the top stops. Push the tines through the back of the zipper to the top and then use pliers to crimp down the tines. The side with two tines is the one that gets pushed through the zipper fabric.

4. Install the bottom stop about 1/3" from the end.

5. To cut back on the zipper's bulk in the seam install a zipper wedge as follows: Cut a piece of fabric 1.5" by the width of the zipper. Pin the fabric to the zipper and then sew across the bottom as close to the stop as you can get without having it run under your zipper foot. Then fold back the wedge and sew again.

Piece of cake. Now just install the zipper into your project.

Notes: a) zipper stops are optional. Use a tight zig-zag if you don't have any stops b) Zipper wedges are optional. If you don't care about a little bulk, you can move the bottom stop up a little and sew the zipper into the seam without the bottom wedge.