"Zip-a-dee-doo-da..."

Zippers are great until they break. There's always the chance that even the best quality zipper could separate, and develop a gap behind the slider. But before you throw away the item, or rip the whole zipper out and replace it, try this simple repair method.

If you have a zipper that's not separated, but is merely balky or stuck, try these measures first:

• Look underneath the zipper to see if any threads are caught in it. If there are, take a scissors or razor blade and cut them where they enter the slider. Pull them through to free the slider.
• Rub a bar of soap, or a candle on the teeth of the

zipper. Now run the slider back and forth a few times. This will smooth things out.

Remove the old stop

The thick horizontal piece at the bottom of the teeth is called a stop. Take this item in one hand and the pliers in the other. Grasp the metal stop at the bottom of the teeth, and work it off. Then turn the zipper over if need be, in order to access the other side of the stop.

Realign the slider

When the stop is removed, you'll be able to get rid of the gap. Next:

• Once the stop is off, move the slider down the zipper, and carefully run the teeth back through the slider.
• Zip the zipper completely up, so that the fabric is aligned on either side.

Create a new stop

Since it's just about impossible to reattach the old stop, you'll create a new one.

• Thread the needle with the heavy thread.
• Starting from the back side, create a new stop by placing several stitches across the bottom of the zipper. You need enough stitches to hold, but not so many that it becomes bulky.

On your last stitch, tie off the thread in a double knot or two under the zipper and cut the thread.