How to Put on a New Zipper

You can hand sew a new zipper into a garment to replace the old zipper.

If a zipper in one of your garments breaks, you can replace it with a new zipper. You can find a zipper at a fabric store that carries not only fabric but also other sewing items such as other closures, needles and buttons. Use a variation of the backstitch called a "prickstitch" to sew in the new zipper. This technique entails sewing a very small stitch on the right side of the material so it does not show as much as a longer, regular backstitch.

Things You'll Need

• New zipper
• Thread to match material
• Interfacing tape
• Scissors
• Needle

Instructions

1. Remove the old zipper from the garment by cutting through the stitches that attach it to the garment. Remove the old zipper and any thread remnants from the fabric.

2. Reinforce the material around where the new zipper will be by attaching a strip of interfacing tape, using a running stitch to sew the tape into place along where the fabric folds over on each side of the garment. The tape will be sandwiched between two layers of the material and folded over itself vertically.

3. Pin a closed new zipper into place, pinning on either side of the zipper track where . the fabric folds away from the zipper, creating a smooth edge along either side of the zipper track.

4. Unzip the zipper. Attach the right side by sewing using a prickstitch with the smaller stitches facing the outside, visible side, of the garment. Stop sewing at the bottom of the zipper track. Do not continue to attach the left side using the same, continuous line of stitches, as the zipper might catch on the thread.

5. Sew along the left side of the zipper track as you did for the right side.

Resources

• Threads Magazine: A Hand-Picked Zipper is Worth the Effort