My zipper broke mid-fit check and I had to improvise in 5 minutes

Joseph Roberts · 2026-05-03T11:10:03.144574+00:00

I was at a sewing meetup in Denver last Tuesday, trying on a jacket I'd been working on for 2 weeks. The zipper pull snapped off right at the collar, and I had about 20 people watching me. I ended up using a paperclip, needle, and thread to make a temporary pull tab. Has anyone else had a zipper fail at the worst moment and had to MacGyver a fix?

charles6784mo ago

Tape works in a pinch too, just gotta use the strong silver kind.

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zara_hill464mo ago

Oh man, that's the worst timing ever... I had a zipper on my favorite winter coat give out in a grocery store parking lot in single digit weather and had to tie it shut with a twist tie from a bread loaf.

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corac913mo ago

Nah, I actually think a zipper breaking at a sewing meetup is the best possible timing. You got 20 people right there who could help, that's way better than being alone in a parking lot with a broken coat.

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