Wool Cycling Jersey: Adding a Zipper

Merino wool is an excellent material for cool weather outdoor wear because it is lightweight, moisture-wicking, and still holds its insulating properties when wet. Unlike other wools, Merino isn't "scratchy" on the skin and is relatively hard-wearing if knit properly, withstanding even washing machine treatment.

This Instructable illustrates how to add a 12in zipper to a sweater, useful for regulating your body's temperature when cycling or hiking. A similar zipper sweater from Ibex for example retails for $75-105. I made this one from a thrift store sweater and zipper for less than $10.


Materials

Merino wool mock turtleneck sweater
14 inch garment zipper
matching polyester thread

Look for a slim fit for cycling use. A mock turtleneck isn't necessary, but matches a traditional wool long sleeve jersey.  Even though we're adding a 12 inch zipper, the extra length of 14in is needed for flipping inside-out.

Step 1 Mark for Zipper Placement

Lay the sweater out flat on your work surface, right side out. Locate the center of the sternum area by measuring the half distance between the arm pits. Find the center of the collar. Pins help for temporary marking. Using tailor's chalk or a fabric pencil, mark a 12 inch line along the center, down from the collar. Place a pin horizontally at the 12 inch mark as the end of your chalk line may not be clear.

Comments

[eecharlie]

Any chance you could add a closeup of the zipper termination stitching?

Also, supposing one has never sewn a zipper before, what's a zipper foot look like?

[dilg]

I *just* stumbled across an article about adding a zipper to a knit shirt. It shows a good close-up of the zipper termination. The technique in that article is different than mine and won't work with knit wools really - just more stable micro-knits.

www.specialtyoutdoors.com/tips/zipandcollar.asp

You can kinda see the zipper foot in one of the articles photos. Here is a better photo of a zipper foot in action: www.flickr.com/photos/17084804@N00/382816090/

[troyml]

 I have a thrift store merino sweater for which this would be an excellent improvement.  Do fabric stores sell the zippers in a variety of colors, or is it dyed or colored some other way?  My sweater is green, not blue.

[dilg]

Fabric stores have a large variety of color zippers in many lengths. You should easily be able to find one to match. For some reason the 14-inch length seems to have the most variety of colors on display at the stores I've been to. The Coats & Clark zipper I used was less than $2.

[luvit]

 it would be cool if you would let your chest hairs hang-out.