Of course, nothing beats an actual zipper that already comes with a great attachment. The pic at right here is of a zipper that I pulled off a purse that was about to be tossed. Just sheer luck, because that thing had been on the "to be tossed pile" for years before I discovered the "sew your own bag" trick!
On the other hand, Daryl at Patchouli Moon Studio makes beaded zipper bling fit for even the most discerning purse. Love the Eiffel Tower! (No, I've never been.) She tells me that she should be selling her handmade zipper pulls shortly in her shop.
While making my rounds at AllFreeSewing.com a while back, I came across a tutorial by Ros at Sew Delicious for making your own beaded zipper pulls. I have yet to find myself some head pins so that I can try this out for myself, but it's definitely on my "must do" list.
A few weeks ago, I had a "water accident" that killed my cell phone (and did some damage to me, but I won't bore you with the details). It was probably one of the few smartphones that came with a hook for hanging charms. My replacement phone doesn't have that functionality so I am left with a set of sad little ornaments that no longer have a home. But I still see those charms being sold and my thought, of course, was that most would function quite well as zipper bling.
[ASIDE: Found out a few days after completing this post that you can buy a "dust plug" for your cell phone headset jack that can also function as a charm attaching device. I ordered this one on eBay for $1.31. I'll remove the bow (and maybe use it as a — wait for it — zipper pull) and attach my old set of charms.]
Speaking of charms, a short while ago, I saw these red slippers on a ChrisW Designs' City Slicker bag... who doesn't think these are super cute??
While old earrings, pendants, keychains and charms can all be fashioned into new life as a zipper pull (check out some of the ideas from my post about upcycling and repurposing), let's not forget the simplest of tricks. One of my testers for the Hot Hues Convertible Crossbody Fooler Bag just pulled a length of ribbon through the end of her zipper and looped it off.
Elizabeth at Sew Chatty has a blog post about how to make these using scraps of coordinating fabric.
Sometimes simple is just enough, don't you think?
I remember those! I actually used to make them for my cell phone, then turned them into scissor charms. I can use them for my zippers now on my bags. Thanks for visiting my blog!
ReplyDeleteScissor charms? That's a new one to me. Thank you back for commenting. (And once again, that is a fabulously colourful bag that you've made!)
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