How many times have you had a zipper break on one of your articles of clothing? A coat? A pair of slacks? A dress or a skirt? I have had it happen to me numerous times, in fact more times then I could possibly remember! Zippers are a wonderful invention except when they either catch, break or just plain get off track. It is embarrassing to be caught literally with your zipper down and so I thought, being that my mother was a seamstress by trade and taught me many things about fixing tears, rips, hems and yes, zippers too, I would share with you how instead of throwing away your favorite jacket or denim jeans, wouldn't you love to know how to fix the zipper instead in some simple steps, thus saving that favorite article of clothing? This is how!

The materials that you will need are a pair of scissors, a needle and thread (preferably thick thread), and a pair of needle nose pliers. These are all the tools that you will need! Not too bad, eh?

1. After you have removed the metal stop then you can move the tongue down towards the bottom of the track, just below the very bottom. Take caution not to pull off of the track completely!

2. After gathering these items, the first thing you need to do is to use the pliers to pry off the metal stop of the zipper. You will find this at the bottom of the zipper. It is the piece that stops the tongue of the zipper at the very bottom and keeps it from sliding off of the track. You may need to work it a bit, however with a little bit of effort you will be able to accomplish this task.

3. Begin to zip the zipper up until it is approximately half the way up and at the same time make sure that the teeth on the track are locking together smoothly. Make sure that the zipper is running completely straight.

4. It is now time to realign the teeth on the track of the zipper. Using your fingers, arrange the teeth on the track so that one side is completely straight without any creases. Now straighten all of the teeth on both sides of the track completely until all creases are gone and it is completely smooth.