quartercentury
02-22-2014, 09:38 AM
I looked for something like this, and it seems we don't already have one!
This tutorial will show how to sew a mock-zip fly where the pattern calls for a real zipper. Because sometimes you just don't need a real zipper! A number of baby/toddler Ottobre pants patterns come to mind here...
In this example, I am working with Otto 3/10 #15, Jodhpur pants. You might have a child for whom this pattern works without the elastic in the back. But my kid needs the elastic. Having made a couple of pairs of these already and seen that he never ever undoes the button, nevermind the zipper, I figured we'd just skip the zipper this time. But we'll pretend there is one, so he still looks like a big kid.
OK, by this point, we have gotten to where the instructions want us to finish the crotch seam allowances. Here are the two main pieces, inseams sewn, crotch seam allowances finished:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/5550f887b3c85267515a 20e7eda56ce6_zps899a 0548.jpg
It is important to note that where the pattern cutting instructions have you cut one side of the zip fly opening a little narrower than the other, you want to ignore them. Leave both sides the same width.
Now we are going to sew most (but not all) of the crotch seam. I have marked with green dots where you definitely should sew and blue dots where it's optional. Depends how realistic of a fly opening you want in your finished product. Stick with the green dots for a slightly more real-zipper look, or go with the blue to possibly keep the fly closed a bit better.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/8eb268c67c28a1297d92 837be3705845_zpsbffb 2378.jpg
I went with the blue here, which I think will keep the fly closed a bit better:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/7ab75968f24eaf45197e 8da014371375_zps6a6a fbf5.jpg
This is what the pants front looks like now from the outside:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/101172bf13f3ef3dce8f 3a7431b7644a_zps07d1 8a0d.jpg
Time to topstitch! We will sew only through the right front until we get to the pin (about the point where my crotch seam finishes - if your crotch seam finishes 'earlier' aka with the green dots, you have a bit more flexibility here), remove the pants from the machine, fold the fly underlap in place, then finish topstitching through both layers of the fly extension.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/b850014714d76e69ec11 8ec7d25d1016_zpsd1fe c70f.jpg
I then sew a bar tack at the point where I moved the project temporarily away from the machine. You can place your bar tacks a little higher or a little lower, depending on how much you want your fake zip fly to open.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/5cd048a354f45be9a0de 49c83da6f835_zps7589 b1bf.jpg
Then move on to sew the outseams of the pants and attach the waistband (not shown). Here is my finished product:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/c705ed271fa11ab29991 4c8e87277ff0_zps3c3d 4c34.jpg
It opens about this far...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/167c7770ec6b8dce620d 66908961b0bb_zps6135 9304.jpg
And looks pretty realistic when worn!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/eac5edd5d2846e341546 d82d1eb8bb1e_zps791a 4604.jpg
Plus, I didn't have to go to the shop to buy a zipper.
:yes:
This tutorial will show how to sew a mock-zip fly where the pattern calls for a real zipper. Because sometimes you just don't need a real zipper! A number of baby/toddler Ottobre pants patterns come to mind here...
In this example, I am working with Otto 3/10 #15, Jodhpur pants. You might have a child for whom this pattern works without the elastic in the back. But my kid needs the elastic. Having made a couple of pairs of these already and seen that he never ever undoes the button, nevermind the zipper, I figured we'd just skip the zipper this time. But we'll pretend there is one, so he still looks like a big kid.
OK, by this point, we have gotten to where the instructions want us to finish the crotch seam allowances. Here are the two main pieces, inseams sewn, crotch seam allowances finished:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/5550f887b3c85267515a 20e7eda56ce6_zps899a 0548.jpg
It is important to note that where the pattern cutting instructions have you cut one side of the zip fly opening a little narrower than the other, you want to ignore them. Leave both sides the same width.
Now we are going to sew most (but not all) of the crotch seam. I have marked with green dots where you definitely should sew and blue dots where it's optional. Depends how realistic of a fly opening you want in your finished product. Stick with the green dots for a slightly more real-zipper look, or go with the blue to possibly keep the fly closed a bit better.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/8eb268c67c28a1297d92 837be3705845_zpsbffb 2378.jpg
I went with the blue here, which I think will keep the fly closed a bit better:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/7ab75968f24eaf45197e 8da014371375_zps6a6a fbf5.jpg
This is what the pants front looks like now from the outside:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/101172bf13f3ef3dce8f 3a7431b7644a_zps07d1 8a0d.jpg
Time to topstitch! We will sew only through the right front until we get to the pin (about the point where my crotch seam finishes - if your crotch seam finishes 'earlier' aka with the green dots, you have a bit more flexibility here), remove the pants from the machine, fold the fly underlap in place, then finish topstitching through both layers of the fly extension.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/b850014714d76e69ec11 8ec7d25d1016_zpsd1fe c70f.jpg
I then sew a bar tack at the point where I moved the project temporarily away from the machine. You can place your bar tacks a little higher or a little lower, depending on how much you want your fake zip fly to open.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/5cd048a354f45be9a0de 49c83da6f835_zps7589 b1bf.jpg
Then move on to sew the outseams of the pants and attach the waistband (not shown). Here is my finished product:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/c705ed271fa11ab29991 4c8e87277ff0_zps3c3d 4c34.jpg
It opens about this far...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/167c7770ec6b8dce620d 66908961b0bb_zps6135 9304.jpg
And looks pretty realistic when worn!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/quartercentury/Sewing%20projects/mock%20zip%20fly/eac5edd5d2846e341546 d82d1eb8bb1e_zps791a 4604.jpg
Plus, I didn't have to go to the shop to buy a zipper.
:yes: