Advice on adding a zipper to a pillow?

[[LadyRaven]]

Okay, so I'm not the best sewer in the world. I can't figure out how to even use my sewing machine... so I'm doing this by hand. Just so you know my skills are.. lacking.

A friend asked me to make him some pillow covers for throw pillows. They are oversized... the pillows are for guests to lay against while at his place, and also for his chihuahuas to sleep on if they feel like it.

The material is cut to match the size needed for the pillows, but, the pillows are a size that they apparently don't make zippers for (or at least, none of the stores in our area know about a size for) so... rather than get a zipper that's too short to do any good, the zippers he got are about 3 inches too long.

So, I'm asking for advice on this. My obvious choices are to a) cut the zipper to the needed length, which I don't know how to do properly or to b) wrap the zipper so that it is the full length of the top and then wraps around down the connecting side a little, which I think would be easier, but I'm not sure how to wrap it with the seam...

Here's what I'm doing... I'm folding the material over a little and sewing it, to create a hem (is that the right word?) so that there's no change of raveling. Which is probably over-kill because the material is kinda like that flannely fleecey (watch the technical words fly!) stuff they make throw blankets out of. So the corners are more square than rounded, and I'm not sure how to wrap the zipper, since it will curve, and I need to to curve in a way that it won't pop open when people are sitting and laying on it.

I hope that makes sense.  

[wolfgang]

The length of the zipper doesn't matter unless it's on an item that will open like a jacket (look at how zippers on pillows, bags, etc on things you own are longer and the extra length disappears inside the item). Just cut the zipper to the desired length + about 1 inch to be safe, then clip the ends or sew over the teeth many times to stop the slider from ever coming off.

Pin the zipper face down along the edge of the fabric on the right side of the fabric and sew close to the zipper teeth and along the fabrics seam allowance, do the same to the other side of the pillow, now put the right sides of the fabrics together and sew all the way around the seam allowance except for the side you have the zip on.

I hope that made some sense.  

[Kingyo~goldfish]

I like you.
Your post has gladened me.
^_^
Unfortunatly, I'm not experienced with zippers.
And by the way, every one here started exactly where you are now, so be confident!  

[[LadyRaven]]

So.. I'm not the best at remembering to post follow-ups. *shame* I' also haven't made much progress on the pillows. I've been side-tracked. But I did want to thank you post for the reply.

I'm planning to try the stuff you suggested, wolfgang. my only question is, do I need special scissors to cut the zipper? The metal teeth look a little scary to my scissors. I don't want to assume that I can just cut them, and find out later I should have used special tools.

and thanks, Kingyo~goldfish. smile  

[damnatio memoriae]

I just posted this in another post....
http://www.curbly.com/ModHomeEcTeacher/posts/4101-How-to-Insert-a-Zipper

I hope it helps. Also use your sewing machine manual. There should be instructions on how to use everything. I've had my sewing machine for a little over 3 years now. I way bad with trying to figure things out on my own. I finally got fed up and opened my manual and was surprised about all things it shows you! Needless to saw, in these past couple of months I've learned way more than in the past 3 years about my machine!