Zip Tips Please...

Fear of zips, the dreaded zipphobia, is yet to be conquered.  Earlier this month I put the zip in to the fitted dress that I am making for my daughter.  It was not a happy experience.  I have never been keen on zips would rather have buttons and buttonholes any day, but I thought I should make the effort.

So here it is.  Mrs Perfectionist isn't altogether satisfied, but greatly consoled in the knowledge that daughter couldn't care less.

As you can see, the invisible zip is visible and will probably gape when the dress is on.

Also, the stitch holes are visible on the folded edges of the opening.  That is because I machine sewed the centre back seams first, of both the outer layer and the lining, with a large stitch, and sandwiched the zip between them before sewing it to the seam allowances on the inside.  The whole thing was a total faff that took hours, not helped by the fact that I needed to hand stitch the top and bottom where the sewing machine couldn't get into the fiddly corners.

I know that there are dressmakers out there who can insert invisible zips into lined dresses at the drop of a hat.  I searched the internet for a tutorial, and found a couple that helped, but really didn't tell the whole story. 

So does anyone know where I can find the Ultimate Invisible Zip With Linings Tutorial, the one that gives all the detail and doesn't leave you cussing?  Links please.

And by way of return, here is the Pin A Rip In A Teabag Tip. 

Remember, you saw it here first.


Update

Many thanks to Maga, who has emailed me within hours of this post with links to two blogs:-


Lilacs and Lace by Laura Mae, who shows how she inserts an invisible zip;


and two posts at Sewaholic by Tasia, who shows how she inserts a standard zip in a lined dress by using hand stitching.