With a device
Using a device is the best way for beginners to insert a zipper slider onto the zipper tape. This thing is actually a towel holder that has been added to a wedged shape piece of wood.
They are easily available and affordable on Amazon and actually I got 4 of them in one package when I first bought mine. They also have double sided tape on them so you can stick it on anything you want. Mine is very old now, so the stickiness has worn off which explains why mine is taped onto the wood now.
The trick is to insert your slider onto the device upside down as in the photo below. The next step takes a bit of practice.
For starters, it will work best if you trim your tape end evenly and it has a nice clean cut.
Insert one side of the tape upside down about half way into the slider and hold on to it. Insert the other side as well, fiddling with it, until they line up. Try to keep them even.
The idea is to eventually feel and or hear a click once the two sides set in.
Once it “clicks” for you, you should be able to move the slider up further onto the tape.
The first few times it may not be quite even but after a while, you will get the hang of it. At some point you may not even need the device anymore.
Without a device
To do this procedure without a device can be cumbersome at first. I recommend using a device as above or even a fork can be used until you get used to it.
My personal preference is to insert the left side first, but you can do whatever is most comfortable for you. The difference is that you must hold the first side in place (about half way inside the slider) in your hand before inserting the second side of the tape.
This can get very fiddly of course so it takes practice and patience. (As Christine from “Christine’s Home Affairs” YouTube channel says, “You just need to hold your tongue right!” to do it lol.
The procedure is pretty much the same, with the exception that the slider and tape are right side up
and you are holding it in your hands rather than in a device. Keep fiddling until you hear or feel the “click”.
Give it a little push with your index finger once you think you are in the right spot. That is when you should hear or feel the click.
Use two fingers of your prominent hand to hold the end of the zipper tape in place while you pull the slider on.
If you heard the “click” then it should install on to the tape. If not, keep trying. Most times it may be uneven or getting frayed at the end. If that happens, Snip a bit more off the end to even and clean it up.
Experience tells me that it is much easier to do this with the continuous zipper tape and the sliders they usually come with rather than ready made dress makers zippers. Not to say that it can’t be done. Just in my personal experience I find the tape much easier to deal with.
Photos and written content are copyright Judy McLean
