Easy Peasy Zipper Ring

A little back story to how I got this idea. My mom makes denim quilts and thought, "Hey! My daughter could do something crafty with these zippers I have no need for." I was working on something else one day and ended up with the zipper wrapped around my finger like a ring and BINGO! I was like, "How fun would this be?"

Today we are going to quickly go over how to make a really cool accessory with very minimal tools and supplies.

Gather your supplies and let's get started.

-zipper (doesn't have to be from denim. I just love the brass teeth.)

-scissors

-needle (use a needle that has an eye the same width as the needle)

-thread (matching color would be awesome)

-measuring tape

-Fray Check (super glue works in a pinch)

First you want to take your measuring tape and measure the circumference of the ring you want to make it for. If you don't have a measuring tape, you can Google printable measuring tape and print one out too. Just watch out for the paper cuts!

TIP: If you have access to a ring sizer, that would work too.

Once you have your measurement, take your zipper and mark it off. Make sure that if you have the bottom of the zipper, not to include it in your measurement like you can see in the image here.

Once you have your measurement marked, take your scissors and cut your zipper closest to the marks you can get. Snip around the teeth of the zipper as to not damage your scissors.

And then... the gratifying step. Pull the two pieces apart!

Next, we are going to rework the two halves back together.

Forewarning! If you have sensitive fingers, this may be rough. Working these teeth back together by hand can make your fingers hurt a bit.

Start with one end of one half half way down the other half and start working the teeth together. It can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Just keep working it until they are all together.

Then, take the end of the half that isn't connected together and wrap around to meet the end of the teeth that are connected. Do the same thing with these. Work them together.

Now... the tricky part. You may need to "try it on" and adjust it by cutting some teeth off and reworking them after you have a "ring". Sometimes just one tooth cut off can make it fit a lot better.

Lastly, take your scissors and cut right along the zipper teeth to get rid of the excess fabric.

Next take your thread and cut about 12 inches and thread your needle. Pull it through and tie the two ends together so that your needle is tied in.

Once you have it, you will start by sewing one end of the zipper to the other side. Sew it about 3 ties to secure it nice.

The sides of the zipper may come undone or start ravelling. That is ok and totally normal, just focus on the sewing even if you have to pull some fray off or put the teeth back together.

Once you have that sewn three times, sew it to the other end, like you see in the photos. and do that three times.

Pull all of these as tight as you can, but be careful not to break your thread.

Once you have one side done, do the same on the other end until you have it all fully secured together.

TIP: You may find it hard to pull the needle through the zipper. You can grab a plier and use that to pull it through.

Once you have that all sewn together, go ahead and pull any pieces of the zipper that have frayed off. You want it Nice and clean as you can get it.

Next, if you have something to put the ring on to do this, you can, but it's not needed.

Take your Fray Check (or super glue) and put it along the edges on one side. If you don't have something like in the photo where you can do both sides at once, then do one side, put it aside and let it dry, then do the other side and let that dry.

TIP: If you are using super glue, be careful not to get it on your fingers. maybe grab some latex or nitrile gloves to do it. Fray Check is easily purchased at any fabric store or even Walmart I think. I recommend it over super glue. Just FYI.

Once it is fully dried, go ahead and take your scissors one more time and trim anything around the edges and make it nice and clean!

And there ya go. ZIPPER RING!