If, like me, you have a favourite bag that you use daily, you would probably be lost without it, so you need to look after it. Very occasionally a simple repair may be required.

My Favourite Bag.

After more than a year of heavy use, the stitching on the zip puller of my large sporty purple leather shoulder bag started to come loose. I’ve seen people just cut off the loose stitch/thread but that is absolutely the WRONG thing to do.

There are 2 solutions. One is a proper repair but takes time and effort and the other is a good enough repair, it’s easy peasy and takes seconds.

1. The Proper Repair

Get some matching thread and a nice thick needle. Undo some of the stitches that are coming undone and carefully stitch again through the ready made holes making sure that you tie off and singe* the thread at each end. *See below.

2. The Good Enough Repair

This one must be done before it’s too late but it’s so easy, you’re just being lazy if you don’t get on with it! ‘Before it’s too late’ means you should do this when you notice the stitching starting to come undone. DO NOT pull the threads, you will only undo a stitch or 2 and then you’re back to the proper repair solution.

Here are some photos of the repair in action!

This is the main zip puller on my bag. You can see the thread is all coming loose at the top of the zip puller. I have to confess that I very nearly left it too late for this repair!

This photo shows how all you have to do is to take a lit match (or lighter) near to the loose ends of thread and singe them. Don’t set fire to it – you just want to gently singe the thread so it melts away. All the thread I use is polyester, so the threads will just melt away into a tiny little plastic lump which won’t fray again.

Voila! Seconds later, it’s repaired 🙂