App. 1 Obj How you hold things together Fasteners: Zippers, buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes and Velcro™

Zippers Two kinds  Centered  Lapped Centered zippers have an even amount of fabric on either side of the zipper. The zipper teeth are right in the middle of the opening. Zippers, especially centered ones, are used on the backs of dresses. This is for appearance (clean line) and comfort (not bumpy like a button would be). Photo from myhalfofthebrain.wordpress.com

Zippers, continued Lapped Zippers are the kind in your jeans where one flap covers the whole zipper.

Buttons Buttons come in two forms.  Shank buttons have a plastic or metal loop with a hole in it that allow you to attach it to your garment.  Sew-through buttons have holes in them for the thread to pass through. Sew through buttons have a shank made of thread.

Shank Buttons The shank button is used on heavy fabrics like wool and in garments like coats and jackets. These buttons are very sturdy and used in places of heavy use.

Sew-Through Buttons Sew-through buttons are the most commonly used button in apparel. The only button that is sewn with no shank at all is one for decoration only. Photo from LulusEmporium

Making a button shank with thread Stitch the button over a toothpick or heavy pin, then wind thread tightly around the stitches under the button. The reason you do this is so the button will have enough wiggle room to pass through the button hole.

How-to on Buttons Because buttons are in high strain areas and go in and out of buttonholes regularly, they should be sewn with a double thread. Buttons should be sewn with matching regular thread. Delicate threads like silk should be avoided.

Velcro™ Velcro ™ is the name brand for hook-and-loop tape. It is a fastener used on shoes, children’s clothing, sportswear and jackets. It is not suitable for high-strain areas. Velcro™ is plastic or nylon and cannot be ironed (it melts). Velcro’s two strips intermesh to hold it together.

More Velcro facts Velcro is plastic or nylon and cannot be ironed (it melts). Velcro’s two strips intermesh to hold it together. The best way to attach Velcro is to machine sew. Hand sewing is O.K. too.

Snaps Snaps have two parts – a ball half and a socket half. They snap together to hold two parts of a garment closed. These snaps require no sewing to apply. You have to use a hammer to put them on your garment.

Snaps They are not suitable for high-strain areas. Apply snaps by marking the location and attaching the ball half first. Photo from sewyerownPhoto from sewyerown via Flickr This snap set was sewn onto the garment. That means it doesn’t show on the outside.

Hook and Eye closure The hook and eye closure is exactly what is says. It has two parts – a hook and an eye. The eye is a circular piece. The hook hooks into the eye to hold two pieces of fabric closed.

Hook and Eye Closure The hook and eye is often used to close the top of dresses above a zipper. It also can be used to close the front of a shirt or dress. It gives the garment a clean appearance because it doesn’t require a seam. Image from Threads magazine, issue #117