Hi guys,
What is the best way to install a zipper in a bimini sleeve where there was none previously? There's got to be a better way than picking out the stitches.
I cut down the center of the pocket then bind both sides and sew the zipper on the i side keppong the teeth at the center allow for the curve when sewing the. Ipper on
O And i use 2 zippers on the mAin pockets stArting at the ends and ending in the middle this way the zipper wont creep open
Thanks Mike!
Right there with Mike!
I came of age with high end marine canvas work. Every bow pocket had a zipper... and end every pocket was split and bound... NEVER was a zipper sewn to a top, EVER. Make sure you use a "crow's foot" to secure the end of the pocket. (Crow's foot=back stitch and then backstitch again so it's 45 degrees away from the first line of stitching).
Crow's foot: stitch forward, backtack, forward again. Backtack 45 degrees up and come back to the intended line of stitching. Make sense? do the same thing on the opposite end; the idea is to provide stitching to secure the pocket and spread the load on the stitch line more evenly. Make sense?
Bobbin, yes, it makes sense! I'm a believer that every sleeve should have a zipper. Nothing is worse than disassembling a frame to get the bimini on/off.
I've seen it done many times where one end of the zipper is sewn directly onto the top with no reinforcement. It just seems so wrong! And I do the crow's foot stitch. However, I won't here, because the sleeve is already sewn down.
Yep, what they said. Same thing. On big tops I typically put in a reinforcing patch - maybe 6 x 6 where the ends of the center pockets will be attached. It prevents little annoying holes where the end of the stitch lines end up.
June