Zip Fix

Ruh-roh

The zipper tab broke off my favorite fleece vest. The loop that holds the tab broke, not the tab itself. 

After a bit of research, I decided to replace the tab with this product. The zipper can be repaired with no sewing involved. It was a little more expensive than a regular zipper pull, but it's a neat design that can snap onto the existing zipper -- in less than 30 seconds! Just make sure you get the correct size.

The directions look simple enough.

But cutting the existing tab off with the snips was not easy. I didn't have the strength to do it. Dale didn't even have the strength to do it. So I chipped away at the little metal part bit by bit using both snips and a hacksaw. 

That took an hour or so, but I got 'er done!

Snapping the new zipper pull onto the zipper teeth took less than 30 seconds. It went so smoothly and quickly that I didn't get a chance for a photo of the process.

This video explains how easy it is:

When I tried my vest on to see how well the zip works, my finger got pricked on something. What that heck is that? Is it a mistake? Did I get something defective?

It took me a bit to figure it out. It's a feature, not a bug. That pokey-outy thing can be snapped into that little indention. So I can pull the zipper tab up, say half way, then snap the pokey thing into the indentation thing and the zipper will hold in place ... sort of park itself where I want it to stay. Huh. I could have done without that feature. I don't need to poke myself inadvertently every time I put my vest on.

But look! Nice, eh?

That's another of the advanced sewing techniques I wanted to learn this year. Whoo-hoo!