Fabric zippers have been on my "must try" list since I first got into junk journaling — and this video is where I finally went ahead and did it. I cover five different techniques for working zippers into paper crafting projects: pouches made from scrapbook paper, zipper panels cut to fit a journal cover, fully functional zipper pockets sewn onto cardstock pages, non-functional zippers used as painted card embellishments, and a grungy technique where you glue paper directly onto both sides of an open zipper. The zippers can be fully functional, partially functional, or there purely for looks — and the techniques are genuinely approachable with basic tools and materials you likely already have.
What we cover
Five distinct methods for incorporating fabric zippers into paper crafting and junk journaling, ranging from a simple folded-paper pouch to a sewn journal-cover pocket to a fully grunge-style zipper piece built with tea-dyed paper, inking, and stitching. Along the way we also touch on how to bind a small journal using a three-hole pamphlet stitch when the zipper piece becomes a cover.
What you'll learn
How to make a scrapbook paper zipper pouch — folding a sheet of 12×12 scrapbook paper around a zipper to create a sewn or glued pouch, including:
- Sizing the pouch to your zipper length
- Deciding how far the zipper opens (full or half-open "shirt collar" effect)
- Closing the bottom edge with sewing, washi tape, or a folded paper strip
- Adding charms and lace to finish
How to cut scrapbook paper around a zipper for a journal cover pocket — tracing the zipper placement first, cutting the paper to sit snug against the metal teeth, and gluing or sewing it down so the opening serves as a functional pocket on a book cover
How to sew a zipper directly onto cardstock to make a journal page pocket — placing and stitching the zipper with a sewing machine, cutting the center slit to open the pouch, trimming the paper back to the stitching line, and adding a backing sheet sewn on three sides, including:
- Using this page as the first page in a journal for storing loose bits and pens
- Using the finished piece as a journal cover bound with a three-hole pamphlet stitch
How to use a stripped-down zipper as a non-functional card or cover embellishment — cutting away most of the fabric close to the zipper teeth, painting the card base (with or without glitter), tracing zipper placement before gluing, and laying the open zipper down flat, including:
- Painting the card in two tones so the zipper divides the colors
- Layering mini tags or small embellishments under or around the zipper to add depth and cover imperfections
How to build a grunge-style zipper piece by gluing paper onto both sides of an open zipper — scrunching and inking tea-dyed paper for texture, tearing and folding the edges rather than cutting cleanly, stapling as a deliberate design choice, and adding machine stitching for a rough, intentional look
Why zipper size directly determines pouch size — a shorter zipper gives a shallower pouch; a longer one gives you more depth. When your zipper is too short for the paper width, a strip of additional paper can bridge the gap.
How to finish and embellish zipper projects, including adding charms on jump rings to the zipper pull, wrapping lace around the bottom edge, using earrings or beads as found embellishments, and letting the zipper's own pull serve as decoration when it's already interesting.
Tips & gotchas
Wet glue can seep through light-colored zipper fabric and leave visible marks on the side that faces out. The fix is to lay down a strip of thin double-sided tape first, then apply glue on top of it — the tape acts as a barrier so the glue doesn't bleed through. On dark or thick fabric zippers you can skip this, but on anything pale or glossy it's worth the extra step.
Always glue your zipper in the closed position. Trying to attach it while it's open makes it much harder to keep the two sides aligned and even.
Trim your paper to the correct final size before gluing it to the zipper. It's much harder to cut accurately once everything is stuck down. Similarly, when doing the card technique, trace your zipper placement on the card before cutting the excess fabric away — it's far easier to position a zipper that still has its fabric borders than one that's been trimmed to just the teeth.
For paper that folds around the zipper (technique one), use paper that has print or colour on both sides if you can. When the collar flaps fold outward and both faces are visible, plain white on the inside looks unfinished.
If the stitching or gluing isn't perfect — and sometimes it won't be — lean into it rather than starting over. Mini tags layered over a gap, a torn paper edge, a bead tucked into a corner: these things genuinely cover mistakes and often end up looking more interesting than the clean version would have. For grunge-style work especially, imperfection isn't something to fix. It's the whole point.
When working on a grunge piece, the paper doesn't need to be cut cleanly or even cut at all — tearing and folding back works beautifully, and stapling is a completely valid construction choice. Machine stitching with a heavy or irregular stitch adds texture and holds everything down at the same time.
Tips for the journal page technique specifically
When you're sewing the zipper to a cardstock page, open the zipper fully before running it through the sewing machine so the foot can travel flat without being stopped by the pull. Sew the backing paper on with the page open — if you sew it closed you've just made a sealed pouch with no access. And if the finished piece feels bulky, placing it at the front of a journal rather than buried in the middle of a signature keeps it from distorting the binding.
A torn scrap of tea-dyed paper, some stitching that goes deliberately off the rails, a broken earring that ends up being exactly right — those accidents are what make a grunge piece feel alive. If you've been collecting old zippers without quite knowing what to do with them, these five techniques should give you a clear starting point, and a few of them might take you somewhere you didn't plan to go at all.
