How to Put a Zipper Behind the Fabric in CLO3D (Invisible Zipper Look)

I recently got this question on one of my CLO3D videos: is there a way to put the zipper behind the fabric, like an invisible zipper?

There is! In this tutorial I add a zipper to the back of a basic top and skirt in CLO3D, and tuck it behind the fabric so it’s hidden.

How it works

Instead of sewing the zipper right on the seam line, you sew it to lines set in from the edge, a bit like a seam allowance that folds back. Then you tuck the fabric in front of the zipper so it sits behind.

Step 1: Draw guide lines for the zipper

Right now the back is just sewn together. To set up the zipper:

1. Use split to mark a point 0.25″ in from the back edge.
2. Draw an internal line there for your zipper length. I used a 9″ zipper.
3. Do the same on both sides of the back seam.

My skirt has a little waistband. Depending on the zipper, you could finish the top with a hook and bar instead, but for this example I ran the zipper up through the waistband too.

Step 2: Add the zipper

1. Select the Zipper tool. (Flip the avatar around so you can see the back.)
2. Click at the top of the first line and continue down to the bottom. Double-click to finish that side.
3. Start on the other line and do the same. Double-click to finish.

Tip: Sometimes it’s easier to continue the zipper in the 3D window and then come back to the 2D window to finish.

Give CLO3D a second to think, and there’s your zipper.

Step 3: Adjust the zipper so it lies flat

If you simulate now, the zipper works, but it pulls the fabric in a little. That’s because we haven’t set the zipper’s dimensions yet. Turn off the avatar so you can see it more easily.

1. Open the Property Editor.
2. Click on the zipper itself (not the tape or the teeth).
3. Change the value to 0.5 and simulate again.

Now it lies flat.

Step 4: Pull the fabric in front of the zipper

1. Use Select Mesh (Lasso) to grab the fabric along the opening.
2. Pull it in front of the zipper.
3. Let it simulate again.

You can turn off internal lines so they don’t distract you.

Step 5: Fix the back seam sewing

If the back still looks pulled together, it’s because the original back seam is still sewn all the way up. Grab that sewing line and shorten it so it stops at the bottom of the zipper. Simulate, and the zipper is now sitting behind the fabric.

Make it look like an invisible zipper

I used a wide zipper in the video so it’s easy to see. For a real invisible zipper look, make everything much smaller:

• Draw your guide lines only about 1/16″ from each side, so you’re working with about 1/8″ total.
• In the Property Editor, set the zipper’s total width to 1/8″ and the teeth to 1/16″ on each side.

That shrinks the zipper way down so it looks much more like an invisible zipper.

Got a CLO3D question?

Have a question about zippers or any other CLO3D tool? Leave it in the comments on the YouTube video. I love answering questions, and yours might become the next video!

New to CLO3D? Grab my free CLO3D Beginner Roadmap to see what to learn first. And subscribe on YouTube for more digital pattern drafting tutorials.

Happy patterning!