Giant Zipper Puffer Vest Upcycle!

 Make a STATEMENT with this

Upcycled Giant Zipper Puffer Vest!

 Puffy vests are totally in style...

and a gigantic zipper makes it 20% cooler!

Okay, first you need a puffy vest.

I got mine at the thrift store for $6.  It was the color I wanted and fit great.

(It really fits me great, my sweet daughter is just my hired help...bit big on her)

Measure the current zipper on the garment...mine measures 24"

so I ordered a #30 24" zipper from orgXIIIorg...with shipping it cost me about $18.

(It was slightly longer...but I was able to work with it...fyi)

Overall the vest cost me $24.

They have since stopped selling their massive zippers.

Check out these ones on Amazon instead:

• 40" Black Ring Zipper
• 2 yards and 5 Sliders Giant Zippers
• 31" White Ring Zipper

 My husband custom made me a leather tab zipper pull to replace the simple stock one.

He tooled the leather...

 Burnished the edges...to make them rounded.

 Punched a pattern into the top and fastened it to the zipper with star rivets!

 Then he dyed the leather black/blue.

 And we set it out to dry!

I love the custom touch!

 Now it's dry and ready to sew!

After just CUTTING the current zipper right off the vest...

I just used my zipper foot and sewed it to the edge of the vest.

 It's so thick at the bottom that the machine can't sew through it...

 So, I used a needle and thread and stitched the bottom section

right through the plastic grid plate!

 I used a heavy duty needle and thick thread and used pliers to push the needle through.

 Sewed all the way to the collar...

and then lightly melted the edge of the zipper with a lighter to prevent fraying.

And it's done!

I love the futuristic vibe!  I want to get some other zippers and

do one more geared for steampunk!

 Need an attention getting piece this winter???

This is it!

 This is also a GREAT way to upcycle a jacket with a broken zipper!

It gives new life to old clothes!

I'm raiding my closet to see what else I can put giant zippers on!

This post published on Doodlecraft first