How to Re-Align the Zipper on a Backpack

Written By: Emily Liu
  • Comments: 4
How to Re-Align the Zipper on a Backpack

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

9

Time Required

20 - 30 minutes

Introduction

If you have found that a zipper slider is not moving up and down or will not close any of the zipper teeth, it may be because the zipper has become unaligned. Over time, zipper teeth will not match up or become stuck, causing accessories such as backpacks and purses to become almost unusable. This guide will teach you how to re-align a zipper on a backpack with a needle, thread, and pliers. Although some background knowledge in basic sewing skills is recommended, we will briefly explain some sewing techniques. We will be show you how to fix a backpack that will not zip properly by re-aligning an uneven zipper without the use of a sewing machine.

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    • Locate the section of zipper with the problem.

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    • Take off the slider by sliding it towards the side without a stopper at the end and pulling it off.

    • Slider: the device that moves up and down the chain to open or close the zipper.

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    • Use pliers to remove at least 4 teeth on each side to leave room for a place to sew.

    • Squeezing the handles of the pliers, grab a single zipper tooth and pull it off. This may rip the zipper fabric, but you will sew it together later.

    • Be cautious that you do not get hurt from pulling the pliers back.

    • Small, sharp parts will come off during this procedure. Keep track of these small parts so you can throw them away.

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    • Using thread of similar color to the backpack, insert one end of the thread through the eye of the needle.

    • Let the needle slide down the thread until it hangs at the center. You should have two equal lengths of thread on either side of the needle.

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    • Tie the loose ends of the thread into a knot

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    • Place the slider back on the zipper.

    • The side of the slider that you feed in first has a divider in the middle.

    • Feed in one side of the zipper in at a time and pull it up to see if the slider can zip up the backpack.

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    • After putting the slider back on the zipper, sew the ends of the zipper to prevent the slider from sliding off.

    • Insert the needle through one side of the zipper fabric and pull until it stops at the knot.

    • Then, insert the needle through the other side of the zipper fabric and pull tightly until it seems secure.

    • Repeat this step as many times as needed.

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    • Tie a knot to finish it off and cut the excess thread with scissors.

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    • Tuck the zipper inside the flap of the backpack to cover the end of the zipper.

    • Sew the zipper fabric to the backpack to secure it in place.

    How do you fix a zriper that is still on together to get it not to to separate when the zipper get zips on the back pack

    Erin Connolly -

    Thank you!! I just fixed both zipper pulls that came off my favorite backpack that my dogs had chewed. I thought I was going to have to buy a new zipper and replace it. This fix took about 10 minutes!!! Yay!

    Jennifer Krause -

Conclusion

Test your zipper to see if it is working properly.

Author

Emily Liu

Member since: 28/04/17

620 Reputation

2 comments

Thanks i saved some money doing this myself. Grewt instruction

umchocky -