5 Things To Do with Zippers

Adapted from Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things, Reader's Digest CanadaUpdated: Mar. 20, 2019

Zippers have been a mainstay in fashion for years, used to fasten jackets, pants, and other accessories, but they’ve also become a handy household item, used in a variety of different ways. To mark Zipper Day, which falls on April 29th, here are 5 things to do with zippers.

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1. Make a Rose Corsage

Add a touch of elegance to your evening outfit with a corsage. You don’t have to spend a fortune to buy one though; just take one of your spare zippers and do it yourself! For an idea of how to do it, follow these instructions.

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2. Secure Your Valuables

Nothing ruins a vacation like reaching into your pocket and discovering it has been picked. To keep your wallet, passport, and other valuables safe, sew a zipper into the inside pocket of your jacket to keep items safely zipped inside.

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3. Create Convertible Pants

Here’s a great idea for hikers and bikers who like to travel light. Cut the legs off a pair of jeans or other comfortable pants above the knee. Then reattach the legs with zippers. Zip off the legs when it gets warm, zip them back on for cool mornings and evenings. Besides lightening your load, you won’t need to search for a place to change.

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4. Create Friendship Bracelets

Give your little ones something new to wear by turning a zipper into a bracelet. Sew on Velcro pads to each end to fasten it and you’re good to go.

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5. Make a Sock Puppet

Create a happy sock puppet that will keep kids amused for hours. Just sew on buttons for the nose and eyes and some yarn for hair, and use a small smiling upturned zipper for the mouth.

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Originally Published: January 28, 2011