Zippers make it easy to put on and take off clothes. All Zippers open and close through the action of a self-locking slider and pull tab. There are three types of zippers, distinguished by their teeth: a polyester interlocking coil, molded plastic teeth, and stamped metal teeth. All of these teeth styles are attached to a fabric (usually polyester) tape.
Shortening a zipper
If you can't find the right length zipper, buy a longer one and shorten it. Close the zipper and mark the desired length. Straight-Stitch several times back and forth over the coil or teeth at the mark. Trim the zipper 1/2" (1.3cm) below the stitches.
| Type | Construction | Characteristics | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed Bottom | Coil | 4" to 22" (10.2 to 55.9cm) long; lightweight, flexible, heat resistant | Dresses, skirts, pants, sportswear, home decor. |
| Closed bottom | Molded | 4" to 22" (10.2 to 55.9cm) long; medium-weight, large teeth, decorative, meant to be visible | Dresses, jackets, sportswear |
| Closed bottom | Stamped Metal | 4" to 22" (10.2 to 55.9cm) long; medium- to heavyweight, sturdy, teeth are usually enameled to match tape colour | Pants, sportswear, work clothes |
| Separating | Coil | 12" to 48" (30.5 to 122cm) long; lightweight, flexible, less bulky than metal or molded teeth. | Handknit sweaters, childrens wear,lightweight jackets. |
| separating | Molded | 12" to 48" (30.5 to 122cm) long; medium- to heavyweight. | Jackets, Sweaters, sportswear |
| separating | Stamped Metal | 12" to 48" (30.5 to 122cm) long; medium- to heavyweight. | Jackets and home decorating items. |
| two-way separating | Molded and Stamped Metal | 12" to 48" (30.5 to 122cm) long; medium- to heavy weight, two pull tabs (so the garment can be zipped from top or bottom.) | Heavy jackets, ski parkas, action sportswear. |
| Invisible | Coil | 9" to 22" (22.9 to 55.9cm) long; special insertion so it is invisible from right side of the garment; requires special presser foot. | Dresses, skirts, pants, home decor. |
| Brass jeans or trousers zippers | Stamped Metal | 6" to 9" (15.2 to 22.9cm) long; slider has locking feature, slightly wider tape for fly-front insertion. | jeans, work pants, skirts (any fly-front design) |