Cushion Rejuvenation Session 4: Setting a Zipper & Finishing

Now that we've got our two pieces cut, it's time to sew them together. But because this is a cushion, we want to be able to take on, or sorry, put on and take off. We definitely want to put a zipper in there. So that ends up being our first step in this case. So, we have our worksheet over here and it has my measurements, 27 by 20 1/2. So I always like to just make sure. That's 27, and this is 20.5. We're good. Now I also have the original cushion length written down over here. The original cushion length is 22.5, and I want to put my zipper on the 22.5 length, right. Because it's easier to get the cushion in the wide part than it is to try to stuff it in the side. So we're gonna put our zipper there. So our original cushion length is 22.5. And this right here is a 20 inch zipper. And I'll show you how you can tell, besides the fact that it says that when you buy it. But if you've lost the label, like I have here, you measure the teeth, okay. So I'm gonna start here and I'm gonna go here, and you can see that that is 22 inches, okay. So that means we have just a little bit of leeway on either side, which is really great. Now, if you can't find a zipper that's the exact length, original length of your pillow, not the length of the cushion, 'cause these are going to, the pieces of fabric cause they're going to wrap around the side. It's fine. You can buy a longer zipper than you need. Just make sure it's too long. It's actually really easy to cut these zippers to size after you've already sewn them in. Now, even though these have metal teeth, basically all you do is just cut right up to the tooth on this side, and then you cut from this side up to the tooth and then you just kind of bend them and separate it. And then the zipper is very easy to cut. So don't feel bad if you can't find the exact length, just find one that's a few inches longer and we can cut it to make it fit. So now we've got to center this zipper onto our length right here, okay. Now I can see this bird here. And I know that this cushion is a back rest. So I know that I want my zipper on the bottom. If this was the seat, you got to think about this. So if this was the seat on your bench like this, then you wouldn't want the zipper right where your legs are going to go over. So instead you would put the zipper up here. So be sure and think about your direction, and always keep your cushion in front of you so you can use it as a reference. All right, so we know we have the right sized zipper and I know I want it down here at the bottom, and both my birds are face up. That's another problem. Sometimes you flip one over and the birds end up upside down. That'll be the side that faces the chair. So we want to center this on here. This is 22 and we know that this is 27. So we know that we need two and a half inches in from here, will be the center, will be one edge. So I'm just going to measure in two and a half inches. And using my iron off pen, I'm just going to make a nice big long mark here so I can see. And then I'm going to find two and a half inches from the other side as well. Make a nice big, long mark right there, okay. Let's see if our zipper fits right in there. That looks pretty good. Okay. So before we can put the zipper in here, we need to sew this with a seam that we can rip out. Now, if you're looking at this, the zipper is only going to be between these two marks. This and this are going to be stitched permanently. So what we're going to do is we're going to start over here and we're using a half an inch seam allowance. We're going to do a back stitch and we're going to sew to this mark. Then we're going to make our stitch length as long as possible so that we can sew all the way across this with a big, long stitch. The reason why we want it so long is I'm sure we've all seam ripped when we really didn't want to. But if you use teeny tiny little stitches, they take forever to pull out. So if you use a nice big, long stitch length you can actually pull one stitch and pull another and then kind of pull a nice long thread out, okay. In our case, we're just going to use a seam ripper to rip it right open. But that makes for less of those little teeny threads that get everywhere if you use a long stitch length. So I'm going to set my zipper aside. And let's go ahead and pin this together in preparation for sewing. Now, when you sew this, you want to make sure that you're sewing with these marks up so you know where to stop and start. So let's put this aside. I'm going to move my measuring tools. All right, let's bring the machine over here. Okay. Now I am to continue to use my walking foot only because sometimes these fabrics will shift on you. My walking foot is just my favorite one to use. In fact, a lot of the newer machines have a walking functionality built right in because it's so wonderful. So I'm going to leave it on there. I'm going to use half an inch seam allowance. Now my fabric isn't very thick. It's not a brocade or anything like that. So I'm going to leave my tension on probably five, five or six. That's normally where you keep it to sew normal, you know, lightweight fabrics, kind of like this one. Now, if you are using a heavy brocade or something that's really, really thick, your machine has a lot of work to do. So you want to turn your tension up to a slightly higher number. The thicker the fabric, the higher the tension, okay. So I'm going to make sure that it's right on five or six there. I'm going to bring this around, and using my half an inch seam allowance, I'm going to do a little back stitch. Oh, let me make sure my stitch length is right cause we're going to change it right in the middle. So I'm changing it to two and a half. That's what we use for normal sewing. So I'm going to go forward. I'm gonna do a back stitch, and then I'm going to sew to the line and then I'm going to stop. All right, I'm just going to creep forward until I'm right on the line. Okay. So I am there. I am now going to do another backstage. Okay, so now the part that has to be securely sewn is securely sewn. Now we are going to go across the part that we're just going to pull out. So we're going to change this. My machine goes all the way up to four. Most machines go up five. If you can get five, that's a great basting stitch. I'm going to go to four and I'm going to sew all the way to the other line. Okay, now I'm there. So I don't want to do a back stitch on this side of the line. I want to go past it. But before I do that, I'm going to go back to two and a half. I'm going to sew pass the line for about five stitches. And now I'm going to do my backstitch, and I'm just going to back up to the line. Okay. Now I'm going to go to the end and I'm going to backstitch at the end. Okay. So let's get this pin over here. Let's trim our threads. And let's see what we got. Let's get all of our pins out of here. Now, my back, or my basting stitch on this machine isn't very obvious, but I'm going to try to get you so you can see this. So right in here, you can tell at the line the stitches over here are pretty big. See how they're far apart? Those pin holes are far apart. These ones here are not. So we know we want to keep this stitch together. So that's why we did that. And then this one we're just going to rip out. So you might as well not do the little teeny stitches if you're just going to rip them out, right? Okay. So now it's time to put the zipper in. We are going to open this up so that you have a seam just like this, right down the middle. And you can either use your iron to press it. Please be careful if you're using a designer fabric. Make sure you know how to care for it. So some of the things that have really nice embroidery on them, you might not be able to iron, or you can't use steam or something like that. Okay. So we know where our zipper is going to go. I can see my line right here. I'm just going to make it a little bit bigger so you can see it a little easier as well. So our line is still here. Make this one over here too. Now our job is to put this zipper right on that seam between our two lines, okay. So I'm going to start on this edge like this. And I want to put my zipper right here. I'm going to need my pins, which I've buried under my project. So I just want to do my best to center this and get these guys pinned into place just like this. Okay. Now, I want to make sure this is right in the middle. So if you see if I pull it up just like this, I can kind of roll down and make sure those teeth are right in the middle. Now let me think about this. I'm going to start sewing on this side, and then I'm going to go around and come up. So now that I know how I'm going to sew it, I'm going to put my pins in so that I can easily pull them out the direction that I am sewing. So I'm going to peek under and make sure my teeth are right, right in that seam. Once I get it right, I'm going hold it. And then I'll get a pin in there just like this. And I'll get one right there. And I'm just going to continue in this manner all the way down until I have my entire zipper pinned to my project. All right, there's the last little bit. All right, so I got one side pinned. And I'll pin it coming up this way as well. Make sure that's nice and secure. Ooh, the pin's a little bent. Let's pick a different one. Must've been using that one on laminates. Okay. Now when we sew our zipper into place, we have to sew all the way around the entire thing. That means that when we get to this zipper head, that's going to be a little bit of a problem. Traditionally, I like to move this zipper head around, so I'd unzip it to the middle. And then I had sew over here, and as soon as I got to it, I'd zip it up. Well, guess what? We're going to do that just the same. However, when I turn it over in order to do that, well there's kind of a seam there, right? So we're just going to seam rip a little early. I want to make sure that I am seam ripping only the basted stitches. I don't want to seem rip anything past this line. So I'm just going to take a look where it is and then I'm going to very gently get my seam ripper in there, making sure, it's very easy to put your seam ripper in the fold of the fabric and to accidentally rip the fabric. So please be sure that you are just ripping the two apart just like this. See there's my zipper head. Yay. So I'm going to do, I don't know, maybe four or five inches. I know I've pinned it really well. So I'm not too concerned about it moving around. I'm just mostly concerned about ripping the fabric right now. So I'm just going to seem rip that open. I think that's probably plenty of room. Now I can sneak my zipper head out of here and move it around. See that? Now I can sew a better stitch around it. Okay. For now, I'm just going to tuck that guy back in there just like that. And the first thing we're going to do is baste. I can't so on this side of it, okay. Because I can't see my zipper teeth. I can sort of see my zipper head, but I certainly do not know where the end is. And I do not want to sew over the teeth or I don't want to hit that cleat at the end cause I could break my needle. So what I like to do is baste this in, so we're going to move our tools. And I'm going to flip this over so I can see it. That's helpful. We'll start at the top here. Let's bring the sewing machine on in here. Now at this point, we do not have to sew with any sort of seam allowance, okay. We are basting. So what does that mean? That means you want a long stitch length. So I'm going to change mine back to four. Yours might go to five. Now, all I'm doing at this point is I am just going to barely sew the zipper onto the fabric. So I am literally sewing right, right, right on the edge of the zipper all the way around, okay. So I am going to start sewing. I move my needle over a little and get my foot on top of this zipper. There we go. Okay. So right on the edge. Okay, I gotta pull my first pin already. Now this is the place where you can't really sew over your pins. You have to take them out as you go. Or else you'll sew right through the pretty flower head of the pin right to your project. Guess how I learned that one? Okay. Now I'm going to use white thread today so you can see how close the stitch is getting. Otherwise you'd use thread to either match the zipper or the front half of the project. Okay, I'm getting down to the cleat of the zipper and I want to make sure I give myself a lot of room. So I'm sewing along the edge of the teeth. Okay, now I'm at the edge of the teeth. I'm going to keep going a little ways. All right, that's probably plenty. Now I'm going to flip it like this and I'm going to sew across and then back up the other side. Get right on the edge there. That works. All right. Time to go back up the other side. Now, if you've noticed, I'm pulling the pins toward me because I know which direction I want to sew, that's why I put the pins that way. It's very hard to try to pull them toward the foot and toward the middle of the machine to get them out. All right, I'm getting back to the head of my zipper. So, okay, I think that's probably about as far as I can go and I can't swerve around the head. We don't want to do that. So my needle is down. I'm going to lift my foot and I'm going to sneak under here and I'm going to very carefully just unzip that zipper. So now my zipper heads back here. Now I can go ahead and lower this down. Keep going. Now I'm past the zipper teeth, which is great. I want to go maybe one stitch further just to be safe. It's only a basting stitch. We're going to pull it out. And then I'm going to so across the teeth here to the other side. And I'm almost all the way around. So I'm gonna lower my foot and keep going. All right, here's the zipper head again. I can't get past it. My needle's down. I'm going to lift my foot, and I'm just going to shimmy that right by the foot and zip this guy right back up again. Oops, he's stuck. There we go. And then I'm going to complete. Now, I'm not even going to bother driving over my thread cause I'm just, that'll just make it difficult to pull it out. So I kind of got close and now I'm going to stop, and we're gonna pull this out. And then I'll show you what this basted thing looks like. So, you can see our zipper is in there. That's great. And we just have a thin little bit of a margin on the side. Okay. That's going to baste it in there. Now, let's see what happened on the front side. I got that pretty good. Now look, I want you to look right here. See how this margin is smaller than this margin? Okay. If I were to have sewn that in permanently, it can get kind of wonky like this on the front side which is why we baste it in first. Now that it's basted it in, I can sew on this side and I can make sure both of my stitches, all the way around, are equidistant from the middle seam. That's what makes it look really nice. Okay, so now we're going to change our stitch length from the basting to a top stitch. So we're going to do probably about three right here. I'm going to start. I like to start on a white space. I'm using white thread. So I'm going to find a place where when I backstitch, my thread won't show. So this looks pretty good. We're going to start right here. And now I'm moving my needle just inside the basting line. I know that my zipper ends at the basting line. So if I move my needle inside of it just a little bit, I know I'm going to hit the zipper since I can't see it. So I am going to put the seam right on the edge of my foot, okay. That way I know exactly where to watch my needle go. All right, so I have the right length, lowered foot, and now I'm just going to simply sew all the way around. When you get to the ends, you'll see where your basting stitch is. Remember, we kind of went way further than the cleat? So get pretty close to that line. That way, you know you're safe getting around the cleat and you won't break a needle. Okay, I'm coming up on my zipper now. So I'm going to make sure my needle is down in my fabric. I'm going to lift my foot, and I'm just gonna shimmy this guy right on by, maybe lift my foot a little more. Fantastic. And then I'm going to keep going around. And then of course I'll move him again. You're just going to continue to sew all the way around the zipper. You're going to meet where you started in the white space so you can't see the backstitch, and then you're going to backstitch, and then you're going to pull it up. All right there's my curve. Turn this direction. Across the zipper, right there. Looks good. I'm gonna do a turn. Lower. All right. Okay. All right, oops. I'm gonna sew over the other part of it. All right, right to the edge. Maybe one more. Pull this through, sew across. Looks good right there. All right. Last side. Oops, lower the foot. Okay, I'm almost back where I started. All right, I'm coming back where I started. Drive over my thread. Do a little backstitch. All right. And our zipper is in. Let's pull this out. And trim our threads, trim the bottom one so we're free here. All right. So now if you look very closely, like right here, you can see that there's an inner thread where we stitched and then there's an outer thread. So I'm not going to bore you with the details of pulling out to the stitch on camera. But basically what you're going to do is you're just going to take this guy and you're going to take these larger stitches, and you're just going to pull out the basting stitch. Now that we have a really nice even stitch that goes all the way around the zipper. But more importantly, let's make sure this opens and shuts. So we have to finish seam ripping this seam open. So very carefully without ripping the fabric, I'm just going to open this seam a little bit at a time. These seam rippers can really get away from you. So be careful. All right. Now, look here. I'm feeling some resistance, but I have not gotten to my seam yet. See that? That's okay because remember the last two and a half inches we did a back stitch. We wanted to make this nice and wide because it's still got the zipper sewn in. See that? We still have our zipper sewn. But look how far away it is from the teeth. So when you're seam ripping this open and you start to feel resistance, even if it doesn't go here, stop because that's your backstitch. So it looks like we're good. Now of course you have these little fuzzies everywhere. So a good thing to do is when you pull them out, get a lint roller and that'll help stick them up. But we have a zipper and it opens. Yay! So now we have a way to put our cushion inside. So I'm going to bring my zipper head right to the middle here because I don't want it to be in the way. I'll just tuck it in. We have to sew up the sides and the top, but we want this to be open so we can flip the whole thing right side out. So I'm going to put this right there. Now the bottom seam is already sewn. It's just time to do the top seams. So we're going to take this and we're going to line these up. I'm just going to pick this up for a moment. This is a large piece and it's hard to get perfectly even. So I'm going to match the corners and then I'm going to lay it down like this. All right, that looks pretty good. All my edges are even. Now this area down here is a little strange because we have this whole zipper thing going on, but that's fine. We don't need to sew there. We just have to sew here, across the top and down that side and that's it. So I'm going to flip it around so that I can pin these together so they don't move during sewing. Now you'll notice at the bottoms here, this is a little weird cause of the zipper, so I'm going to try to flip these out as best I can so that I can sew them like that. Just so that I don't have to sew over a lump. We'll do that on this side as well. All right. We have been using a half inch seam allowance. We're going to continue to do that as we sew all the way around. So I'm going to start here, bring my pins over so I can pull them out as I go along. So I want to make sure I'm on the half inch. Looks good. All right. Make sure that your stitch length is on a stitch stitch length, which is two and a half, by the way, and not a top stitch. And we're just going to stitch this at a half an inch all the way around. All right, I've done all three sides, and I'm about to do my last backstitch. Let's trim the threads here. All right. So we now have a pillow case. Except for this is what our pillow case looks like, and this is what our cushion looks like. Now you could stuff it in here but it wouldn't fit really well because this has some height to it. We can see, we have the size right. But this has some height to it. So we must be missing something. And of course we are and that's gussets. And we're going to talk about how to fit the gussets perfectly next.