Support guide for making deck seams and French seams with slide fastener

A method of sewing a decorative topstitch on a seam with a slide fastener, the slide fastener including a first joining part including a first set of connecting elements and a second joining part including a second set of connecting elements, the method comprising:

• affixing a first sewing panel to the slide fastener by affixing the first joining part of the slide fastener to a first joining edge of the first sewing panel;
• affixing a second sewing panel to the slide fastener by affixing the second joining part of the slide fastener to a second joining edge of the second sewing panel;
• connecting the first set of connecting elements to the second set of connecting elements thereby forming a joint seam;
• placing the joint seam with the slide fastener face down on a support guide mounted on a sewing machine to align the slide fastener in a vertical position and in a horizontal position, a bottom leading edge of the first sewing panel and a bottom leading edge of the second sewing panel aligned with a first top surface and a second top surface of the support guide;
• placing the joint seam with the slide fastener into a space between the first top surface and the second top surface to align the joint seam with a needle;
• and
• sewing a decorative topstitch on at least one side of the joint seam through a one of the first sewing panel or the second sewing panel,
• wherein the support guide includes:
• the first top surface;
• the second top surface, the first top surface coplanar with the second top surface and spaced apart from the second top surface by a distance sized to accept the slide fastener;
• a first planar groove side wall extending downward from the first top surface;
• a second planar groove side wall extending downward from the second top surface;
• a groove bottom extending from the first planar groove side wall and the second planar groove side wall;
• and
• a front guide, a top surface of the front guide flush with the groove bottom;
• the first planar groove side wall, the second planar groove side wall, and the groove bottom defining a groove between the first top surface and the second top surface;
• wherein the front guide is tapered, a narrow end of the front guide distal from the groove and a wider end of the front guide proximate to the groove.

A support guide for sewing a decorative topstitch on a seam with a slide fastener, the support guide comprising:

• a first top surface;
• a second top surface, the first top surface coplanar with the second top surface and spaced apart from the second top surface by a distance sized to accept the slide fastener;
• a first planar groove side wall extending downward from the first top surface;
• a second planar groove side wall extending downward from the second top surface;
• and
• a groove bottom extending from the first planar groove side wall and the second planar groove side wall;
• the first planar groove side wall, the second planar groove side wall, and the groove bottom defining a groove between the first top surface and the second top surface;
• and
• a front guide, wherein the front guide is tapered, a narrow end of the front guide distal from the groove and a wider end of the front guide proximate to the groove.