Beatrice’s Easy Zip

Beatrice is ready for the woodland walk, but her jacket zip is awkward to hold. Her gloves make it even harder. She tries to pinch the small pull between her fingers, then looks up at Mum. “It keeps slipping away.”

Mum helps start the zip, and Beatrice pulls it up with her bare hand. That works, but she wants to keep her gloves on outside. They sit at the hall bench and look closely at the tiny metal pull.

“The zip works,” says Beatrice. “The bit I hold is too small for my gloves.” Mum brings a short, broad fabric tab from the sewing box. It is soft enough to bend and wide enough for Beatrice to grip.

Mum attaches the tab securely to the opening in the zip pull. Beatrice waits while Mum checks the stitching and puts the needle away. The new tab hangs a short distance below the original pull, making a larger place to hold.

Beatrice puts her gloves back on. She grasps the fabric tab and pulls slowly. The zip moves, but the tab twists against the jacket. She stops instead of tugging harder. “Can it lie flatter?” she asks Mum.

Mum turns the attachment so the tab sits flat. She checks it again, then lets Beatrice try. This time Beatrice pulls the zip up and down smoothly with her gloves on. The small change has made the fastening easier to use.

On the walk, Beatrice opens her jacket when she feels warm. Later she closes it again without taking her gloves off. Mum asks how the tab feels. “Easy to find and soft in my hand,” Beatrice says, holding it up.

Back home, they leave the tab attached for next time. Beatrice tells her brother why they changed the pull instead of replacing the whole jacket. “We kept the part that worked,” she says. “We changed the part I needed help to hold.”