Lining an Invisible Zipper in Pictures

So that link I found was for a one-piece dress, apparently, because I ran into trouble at the waist seam (bodice and skirt are treated as 2 different items in this pattern). She recommended leaving the side seams open, and you have to leave the center back seam open for an invisible zipper, so what was I to do with my skirt lining? At first I forgot to put it in, then I figured I'd just sew the pieces together at the waist seam. But the whole thing about turning the lining inside out falls apart when you have a separate skirt lining. You'll see what I mean...

So here's the dress with one side of the zipper already applied to fashion fabric, right sides together. Note teeth are away from the raw edge because the zipper will be flipped over. Lining is inside.


Now I've turned the lining out so right sides of lining and real fabric are together. Line this up and stitch along zipper again.



Voila!


Here's the trouble - the skirt lining is a separate piece. OHHHH! It just occurred to me that I should've sewn the bodice and skirt linings together just like the dress - DOH! Then I could flip the whole thing. Okay, live and learn.


So I folded the bodice down and flipped the skirt lining over as best I could so right sides of lining and real fabric were together. Sew this together.


Here it is turned rightside out with the gap between my bodice and skirt lining, which I just handsewed as best I could.


And here's the beautifully enclosed (and out of focus) zipper at the collar!


Of course, I was so attentive to lining up the waist seam that I didn't think to line up the bottom of the collar, so my gathering doesn't match up on either side of the zipper. Whatever...there's so much pattern to this fabric that I'm okay with one boo-boo. It's like the mole on that chick in the book I had to read in high school, The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. (Seriously, have you read this? I had no idea you could read classics online, but that link takes you to the very story, which is short. Loved it!)

Okay, off to Hancock to buy a buckle for the belt, then I'm DONE! Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow...