Exposed Zipper on Front of Garment | image from morningbymorningproductions.blogspot.com

In our humble opinion, an exposed zipper is unsightly when sewn on a garment exposing its teeth and tape.  The only reason it is sewn like this is to draw attention.  Anything that draws attention is immodest. A modest item can be modest yet attractive, but when it is attracting, it is beyond the spirit of modesty.

Unfortunately,  like it has been for centuries, the trend of today’s retail clothing market is not to cater to the modest crowd since it is dictated by the fashions of Paris.  Thanks to the modest communities of the world who do not submit to the impurities of fashion, sewing has become a household necessity and that’s why KosherPatterns.com is here.

The modest way of sewing a zipper is to have it hidden as much as possible.  That’s why modest zippers exist and modest techniques are used to sew them.  There are two types of zippers that can be used when sewing for modesty.

Invisible Zipper

The invisible zipper is used in formal garments but can be used in your regular sewing as well.  When sewn correctly, the zipper is hidden from view when closed, except for the tiny sliding zipper pull.

Invisible Zipper is the most modest zipper, hidden when closed. | image from thegirlinspired.com

Basic Zipper

The basic coil zipper is easier to sew relative to the invisible zipper and is still hidden when closed.

The Basic Coil Zipper is hidden when closed | image from Nancy Zieman

Exposed Zippers

Exposed zippers tend to have metal or plastic teeth in them with larger sized zipper pulls. They are used mostly in non-garment items, such as bags, pillows, and furnishings, but they are also sewn in retail jackets.

Comparing the three zipper types below, the coil zipper (the middle one) looks the most modest as the color of the teeth and zipper pull blends with the zipper tape, while the other two zipper’s teeth are meant to stand out.

Metal, Coil and Plastic Teeth in the basic zipper | image from Wikipedia

Take a look at this travel bag that is covered with zippers everywhere.  Imagine you have a garment that is also decorated with many zippers, exposed zippers, that is.

Bag with Many Zippers | image from Morguefile

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Color-blocking is a technique where colors from the complementary color scheme is used in a garment.  To understand any color scheme, one has to understand the color placement in a color wheel.

Color Wheel from tigercolor.com

Colors that are opposite each other in the color wheel are the complementary colors.  For example, red and green, purple and green, orange and blue, yellow and blue, etc.

Complementary colors are tricky to use in large doses, but work well when you want something to stand out. — tigercolor.com

As you can see, color-blocking which highlights the complementary colors is a way to boldly attract the visual attention of the onlooker.  In terms of modesty, whose primary value to is to not flaunt but to conceal, color-blocking is not a viable application in modesty.

An alternative to color-blocking is to use what we call the Analogous Color Scheme.

Analogous Color Scheme from tigercolor.com

This color scheme uses a triad of colors that are next to each other in the color wheel to produce a serene visual appeal.

Analogous color schemes are often found in nature and are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. — tigercolor.com

These colors are more suited for modesty as they are not loud and attention-seeking as their complementary color counterparts.

To answer our reader, we would suggest using colors that blend well to create a balanced and peaceful appearance.

Here are a few fabric ideas that we have incorporated into some of the designs from My Sloper.

Fabric Ideas for Box-pleated Blouse

Fabric Ideas for a simple, modest belted dress.

Fabric Ideas for a Belted Victorian-style Empire-Waist Dress

Fabric Ideas for a Empire-waist Paneled Blouse

Fabric Ideas for Drop-waist Pleated Tucks Dress

If you enjoy this article, please share it with others who care about modesty.  In addition, send us a picture(s) of your application of the modest color scheme in your modest clothing created with My Sloper.

The post Fabric Ideas for Modest Clothing appeared first on KosherPatterns ®.

Traditionally, a roll collar in its various forms (shirt, convertible, sports, etc.) is designed for a front opening bodice.  For those who prefer a back opening instead of a front opening for modesty reasons, they can re-design the roll collar to maintain its roll yet cut in two pieces.  The trick is to re-attach the roll collar at the Center Back below the roll line with mechanisms such as hooks-and-eyes, button-and-loop, etc.

One-piece Traditional Roll Collar

Here is a sample of a Traditional Full Roll Collar design, which you can download from My Sloper (Collar, Blouse, Dress).

Two-piece Traditional Roll Collar

To convert the one-piece roll collar to two pieces, simply add seam allowance at the Center Back (CB). Re-write the cutting instructions to have 4 pieces instead of 2.

Assembly

Sew your garment according to its instructions.  With a back-zipper opening, sew the back zipper before attaching the collars.  Attach the collars at the neckline and follow these simple instructions.

Model

We took the liberty of creating a model demonstrating that this can be done.

Two-piece Roll Collar With Back Opening

The technique of using hooks-and-eyes can be applied to other collars as well, including our Cowl Collar.  See below.

Application of hooks-and-eyes on back of Cowl Collar

Our Cowl Collar is available in My Sloper Collar, Blouse and Dress as well as separately.

Hope you find this tutorial useful.  If you like it, please share it with your sewing friends.  Thank you.

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