The advent calendar for bag makers...
Day 17 brings a small but very satisfying finishing detail. Today you will find two matt silver zipper ends, designed to give your handmade bags a clean, professional finish right at the end of the zip.
Zipper ends are one of those little extras that make a surprising difference. They tidy up the raw end of zipper tape and turn it into a polished feature rather than something you try to hide inside a seam. If you enjoy using continuous zip tape, these are especially useful and work beautifully with the purple number five zipper tape revealed earlier in the box.
The matt silver finish coordinates perfectly with the other hardware included throughout the calendar. That consistency means you can mix and match pieces across a single project without worrying about clashing tones or finishes. It is a subtle detail, but it is exactly the kind of thing that helps a handmade bag look considered and complete.
They are also a lovely confidence booster if you are newer to bag making. Adding zipper ends feels like a small upgrade, yet it instantly makes a project feel more advanced without adding complexity. Sometimes the easiest changes give the biggest reward.
Read on for how to use metal zipper ends…
To use these metal zipper ends…
- First unscrew the little screw at the back (careful – put them in a pot as these little guys love to go talkies!!)
- Cut the end of the zipper to length (usually zipper ends are put onto the closed end opposite to the zipper pull end when closed). Seal the end of the zipper tape (either with fray check or by gently and carefully burning with a lighter).
- Fold the two edges of the zipper tape in towards the teeth of the zipper tape. You can use a little glue to hold it in place if you want to. You are aiming to get the zipper tape to be the width of the opening of the metal zipper end.
- Place the end of the zipper into the metal zipper end. You can use E6000 to help it to stay stuck in there if you want for added security.
- Add the little screw into the back of the metal zipper end to secure it in place. If you want to, add a little E6000 glue to the screw hole to help it to stay in place.
Curious as to what the rest of the box looks like and don’t want to wait? You can watch the full unboxing below…
And pop back to this blog for the rest of the days or read along to the next blog post for what the next day brings!
Missed out on this advent box? You can find any possible extra stock here.
Looking for more bag making supplies like this? Check out the Bag Supplies shop here.