We all have that favorite pair of jeans. And we’ve all experienced the devastation of having the zipper break. Instead of tossing them into the trash or rushing them over to Goodwill, try these step-by-step instructions to repair your zipper in no time.
1. Use a seam ripper to remove the zipper.
2. It may be difficult to find a replacement zipper of the exact length, so be sure to get one that is a little bit longer than the old zipper. Line the broken zipper up against the new zipper and mark where the teeth of the old one end to ensure they will be the same length.
3. At the end of the zipper, make a bar tack. This can be done with the zig zag function on a sewing machine or by hand. Cut the zipper just below the bar tack.
4. Put the zipper in the jeans and baste into place.
5. Use the zipper foot to sew the zipper into place. Stitch as close to the zipper as possible.
6. Turn the pants inside out. Pin the zipper in place and sew it into position. Be careful to only stitch through one layer of fabric so that you will not be able to see the stitches on the outside.
7. Make a bar tack at the end of the zipper to hold it securely into place.