How To Sew A Zipper Tab To Reduce Bulk

How to sew a zipper tab to reduce bulk on the side seams of any zipper pouch you make from now on. It's an easy how-to for beginners that will make your sewing better, easier, and your zipper pouch look so cute - check it out.

Table Of Contents

• New to bagmaking?
• Sew this EASY Bag!
• Why add zipper tabs
• Supplies
• Video Slideshow
• How To Add Zipper Tabs - STEPS
• More Zipper Tips
• Want MORE Free Patterns?

Why add zipper tabs

Zippers can feel tricky when the ends get thick and bulky - that's where seams can go wonky or the zipper end gets squished. And suddenly, your machine suddenly has a lot to chew through.

An easy fix? Add little fabric tabs to the zipper ends. They reduce bulk, make the pouch easier to sew, and give it a neater finish too. Beginner-friendly, I promise!

Supplies

• 2 pieces 4.5" x 1" (11.5cm x 2.5cm) fabric for zipper tabs
• a standard nylon coil zipper, (width 1" and min 7" useful length between stoppers)
• thread
• scissors or rotary cutter+cutting mat
• sewing machine

Shop my personal favorite sewing supplies on Amazon HERE.

Video Slideshow

First, for those of you who like video tutorials, I've made a video slide-show just to make it easier for you. Check it out:

How To Add Zipper Tabs - STEPS

Before you start, decide how long you want your finished zipper to be. I used a standard 7-inch nylon zipper, which works really well for many pouch sizes.

Part 1 - Shorten the zipper 

Secure the ends by hand-stitching at ⅛ inch from the planned cut.

Then snip off the excess zipper. This means you'll also cut off the metal stoppers.ZIPPER LENGTH hint: Take into the acount that the tabs will extend the raw zipper length by 3 inch if you use the tabs as long as stated above (i.e. 4.5")

So if you cut the zipper to the 'raw', total, length of 7 inch, the total tabbed zipper will measure approx 10" (25cm). This is perfect if you'll be making a zipper pouch I'm about to show you in the coming weeks. (So save this tutorial for later, too!)

UPDATE: the zipper case tutorial is live, and there are tons more free patterns and tutorials on this site.

Part 2 - Prepare the Fabric Zipper Tabs

Fold each of the two fabric tabs in two and press RST (right side together).

Slide them on each end of the cut-off zipper.

Pin or use wonder clips to hold in place.

Part 3 - Attach the zipper tabs

Machine stitch using a ⅜ inch (=1cm) seam allowance.

Then fold the sewn pieces back as shown in the photo above and finger-press. Then topstitch using a SA of ⅛ or a bit wider, but no wider than ¼". You'll catch the zipper when topstitching.

Repeat on the other side of the zipper. Done!

You've just tabbed your zipper, now you are ready to sew the zipper into a pouch. It will make it look nicer and more professional, but what I think is the most important - you won't need to fiddle with zipper teeth when sewing the sides, and this always means a lot less bulk and a clean look of the finished pouch. Just as if it were a normal zipper - just easier!

Part 4 - use the tabbed zipper in your project

This is the back of a sewn-in zipper when tabbed. You've got tons of options to use your tabbed zipper in a project like this center zipper pouch tutorial, or jump straight into making a bag. My easy Nea bag pattern uses a tabbed zipper on the back, and it's a great beginner-friendly project:

I love how tabs add a pop of color to any zipper pouch!

More Zipper Tips

Want MORE Free Patterns?

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