How many times have you had a zipper break on one of your articles of clothing? A coat? A pair of slacks? A dress or a skirt? I have had it happen to me numerous times, in fact more times then I could possibly remember! Zippers are a wonderful invention except when they either catch, break or just plain get off track. It is embarrassing to be caught literally with your zipper down and so I thought, being that my mother was a seamstress by trade and taught me many things about fixing tears, rips, hems and yes, zippers too, I would share with you how instead of throwing away your favorite jacket or denim jeans, wouldn’t you love to know how to fix the zipper instead in some simple steps, thus saving that favorite article of clothing? Well here is how!
The materials that you will need are a pair of scissors, a needle and thread (preferably thick thread), and a pair of needle nose pliers. These are all the tools that you will need! Not too bad, eh?
1. After gathering these items, the first thing you need to do is to use the pliers to pry off the metal stop of the zipper. You will find this at the bottom of the zipper. It is the piece that stops the tongue of the zipper at the very bottom and keeps it from sliding off of the track. You may need to work it a bit, however with a little bit of effort you will be able to accomplish this task.
2. After you have removed the metal stop then you can move the tongue down towards the bottom of the track, just below the very bottom. Take caution not to pull off of the track completely!
3. It is now time to realign the teeth on the track of the zipper. Using your fingers, arrange the teeth on the track so that one side is completely straight without any creases. Now straighten all of the teeth on both sides of the track completely until all creases are gone and it is completely smooth.
4. Begin to zip the zipper up until it is approximately half the way up and at the same time make sure that the teeth on the track are locking together smoothly. Make sure that the zipper is running completely straight.
5. Now it is time to take your needle and thread. (Make sure you thread the needle, of course). Sew around where you just removed the piece on the bottom of the zipper with the pliers where the stop was. Sew back and fourth and loop it until you have made a new “stop” with the thread. In other words, sew a large firm series of stitches until it is thick enough to stop the zipper itself, without having the metal piece. This should take at least seven stitches, however I prefer to use about ten in order to be certain that it will keep. Next, tie off the knot at the back of the zipper, knotting it repeatedly to be sure that it will hold.
6. Now test your zipper. Zip it up and down several times. If you have done a good job, it will be just like new!
A zipper that is broken or not working properly can be a real pain, however if you can follow the above instructions, you will not have to give up on that piece of clothing that you love so much.
