How do I replace a broken zip on my jacket?

If the zip on your jacket breaks, sometimes the only solution is to take out the entire zip and replace it with a new one. We’ll show you the steps to take here. You’ll need to be able to use a sewing machine.

Tools Needed

Seam ripper, fabric scissors, tweezers, thread, sewing machine with zip foot, replacement zip, zip stop

Author

VAUDE Repair Team

Date

12.05.2016

Difficulty

Difficult

Time Needed

2 hours

^

Step One

Separate the seams of the broken zip using the seam ripper.

It’s best to begin on the outside of the jacket.

^

Step Two

Next, separate the seam between the jacket and the front flap.

^

Step Three

Then you can separate the zip from the jacket.

^

Step Four

After you’ve separated the zip and front flap from the jacket, you’ll need to separate the zip from the front flap.

You should then have both sides of the zip and the front flap laying before you.

^

Step Five

Measure the length of the zip that you’ve removed and mark the length on the new zip. Use the tweezers to crimp the zip stop onto the new zip in the correct position.

^

Step Six

Cut off any excess zip approx. 2 cm beyond the zip stop.

^

Step Seven

Use the wire cutters to pry off the zip teeth after the stopper. Then remove any leftover pieces with the seam ripper.

^

Step Eight

Fold over the seam allowance of the zip and sew it down with the sewing machine.

^

Step Nine

Position the pocket attachment correctly and sew it on to the closure edge.

^

Step Ten

Sew the zip onto the front flap using the zip foot.

^

Step Eleven

Sew the front flap with the zip attached onto the jacket lining.

^

Step Twelve

Sew the remaining zip half (without flap) onto the other side of the open jacket.

^

Step Thirteen

Sew along the zip again on the outer fabric.

^

Step Fourteen

Smooth out the other half of the jacket, aligning the two sides together using a seam that comes together or other design element. This is important so that the zip is correctly aligned at the end.

^

Step Fifteen

Then sew the second side of the zip on. Move the slider as you sew to keep it out of the way.

^

Step Sixteen

The last step is to re-sew the hem seam.

If any sewing holes are still visible in the jacket, you can close them using the steam setting on an iron. Be sure that the iron does not touch the jacket!

