Adding A Recessed Zipper

 How to Sew a Recessed/Inset Zipper to a Bag

If you have ever wanted to take your bag making skills to the next level, this is a good place to start, a recessed zipper!  It's not that difficult to do, just several steps to complete; sometimes time consuming.  This post is pic heavy because I wanted to walk you through this process step by step.  Hope you can figure it out!  Let's get started!

First, start off with 2 strips of fabric that are 3 x width of your bag. My strips are 3 x 11 because the width of my bag is 11". 

At each end of the fabric, fold over the ends, approximately 3/8" and iron to flatten.  Be sure that they are even.  This will be important later on. : )

In the picture below, I placed them next to each other to ensure they were even. Right sides are touching; prepping for the next step.  

Get your zipper.  Your zipper should be longer than the width of your bag.  (I find that 1" longer is good enough.  I have found this process is harder to do when the zipper is the exact size of the width of the bag.  Just my opinion because you also need to account for seam allowances later on.)

With one of the 3 x 11 panels, place the strip so the right sides are touching, as shown below.  Insert the zipper into that fabric and line up the raw edges.  Zipper pull should be face DOWN, as shown. 

Incase the zipper.  Close the fabric over so that the right side of the fabric is touching the raw edge of  both the zipper pull and the other side of the outer fabric.  Pin and sew down the raw edge of the fabric.

Once sewn, pull the tab, and zipper, through the tube, from the bottom.

It should look like the photo below.  Iron it to flatten.

Top stitch 1/8" - close to the zipper. 

Prepare the other side of the zipper the same way as you did the first.  Fold over the completed size and incase it into the unsewn fabric layer.  Pretty side of the unsewn strip should be facing the pretty side of the completed strip - which is attached to the zipper.  Line up the raw edges, as you have done in the step above.  Sew down the right side.

Pull zipper tab out of the tube, just have you have done with the first completed side.

Flatten and press with the iron to look like photo below.

After ironing flat, top stitch down the newly created panel.

Attaching the Zipper to the lining:

Get the lining of your fabric.  Fold the lining fabric in half lengthwise to find where the middle of the fabric is.  Do the same with the zipper.  Do not line up the ends of the zipper tabs, rather finished edge of fabric -that clean, folded, finished edge you made in step 1 - to the finished edge of fabric.  Mark the middle of both of them.

Once you have found the middle of both, measure down  1 or 1 1/2 inches from the top raw edge of the lining, on the right side of the fabric, as shown in picture below. Look for the pen mark... Draw a line across the width of the fabric.  

Lay the right side of the zipper's panel on that line, being sure to line up the center marks you made on the zipper and the lining and sew 1/8" seam across the width of the lining.  You will be connecting one side of the zipper panel to the lining with this step.

After sewing, attaching to one lining side, do the same thing to the opposite lining piece.  Be sure you have pretty side of the lining face up when drawing the line and when attaching the zipper.  The zipper part you will be attaching to the 2nd lining piece should now be face down when ready to sew. The end result will look like this photo below.  

The lining will sit inside of your tote bag like the above picture. You can finish off the bag the way you normally would, matching the top raw edges with the top raw edges of the outer, interfaced fabric and pushing the zipper pulls inside of the bag, to be able to sew down the left and right sides of the lining like you normally would.  

That's all! One easy way to take your bags to the next level.  You can also insert inside zipper pockets and key chain hooks.... do what you think you would need to hold your items!  Now get to sewing! : )