2021 Week 40 - changing (or adding) a zip pull

I like to chop and change my zips - sometimes I will have contrasting sides to the zip, and sometime I will add a different coloured zip pull, or maybe add more than one.

Here is how: (you need a zip a bit longer that you need for the project as we need to cut some off)

EDIT - the full instructions are for a curved zip - if you want to use the zip on a straight pouch or for a pocket just use the relevant instructions shown in bold

Cut the sealed end into a deep V.  It will help if the two sides don't quite match

Slide the zip pull onto the longer side and pull it down to where the teeth / tracks on the shorter side start.  The teeth / track needs to go into the wider tunnel

without nudging the first side, slip the teeth on the shorter side into the other tunnel

Grab both pointed ends of the zipper tape firmly in one hand

And pull the zip pull onto the tracks.

Test by zipping up the item you are making

If it doesn't sit right you might have started the second lot of teeth too high or too low - sorry, you need to take off the zip and try again (and again and again) until it is right

If you want to have two pulls on the tracks you need to know that tracks going into the wider tunnel will lock together and tracks going into the narrower tunnel will unlock, irrespective of what state the tracks are already in.

On this project the pulls could all be added from the same end: pulled left the zips close their sections, and pulled right they open it.

But sometimes you want to be able to use a pouch differently - so you need to add a pull from each end

In other words this one went wrong: as I pull down the zip pull (so the tracks enter the wider tunnel) the tracks will open even though they are already open (I added both pulls at the same end - Doh)

Flipping annoying, but that's why I've written these instructions so I *might* be able to do it correctly next time!!!!