How to Fix the Zipper on a Columbia Interchangeable Jacket

Make sure your new zipper is the kind that comes fully apart before attaching it.

Broken zippers on clothes are a pain but instead of replacing the entire interchangeable jacket a broken zipper can be fixed by removing the old zipper and replacing it with a new, working one. The old zipper has to be carefully removed with a seam ripper and the new zipper should be pinned into place and then sewn on with a zipper foot. With the new zipper in place, your expensive Columbia interchangeable jacket will be just like new.

Things You'll Need

• Seam ripper
• Zipper
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine with zipper foot
• Thread

Instructions

1. Seam rip the thread that holds the zipper in carefully so that you don't tear the fabric. Remove the zipper and pin the fabric back together to hold it in place.

2. Measure the zipper that you removed from the jacket and make sure that your replacement zipper is the same length and type. It should be the kind of zipper that unzips completely and is reversible for the interchangeable jacket.

3. Pin the zipper between the layers of fabric where the original zipper sat with the zipper completely zipped. Start pinning from the bottom and work upwards. Make sure that you are not stretching or bunching the fabric of the jacket while pinning it into place. The fabric should sit flush against the zipper material. Make sure that all the fabric that was sewn to the original zipper is pinned to your replacement zipper.

4. Use the zipper foot on your sewing machine to sew the zipper into the jacket. Sew one side of the zipper at a time from the bottom up for each side. Let the machine pull the fabric so that you don't get bunching or stretching. Remove the pins as you sew because if you accidentally sew over a pin your needle can break.

5. Test the new zipper to make sure you didn't sew too close to the closure of the zipper. Trim any excess threads.

Resources

• Sewing: Basic Stitches
• Industrie: The ABC of Zippers