frankie exclusive diy: fabric belt

Belts don’t have to be purely practical. With this simple sewing project, you can make a belt (or lots of belts) as exciting and unique as you like.

MATERIALS
The measurements below will make a belt just over 1m long by 4cm wide. If you need a longer or shorter belt just adjust the long measurement to suit. If you need a wider or narrower belt just adjust the small measurement (you want this to be twice the final width of the belt you’re making). Then buy D-rings in the final belt width.

– 8cm x 108cm fabric for the front of your belt (I’ve used quilting cotton but most non-stretch fabrics would do)
– 8cm x 108cm fabric for the back of your belt (I’ve used different fabrics for front and back but you could use the same fabric for both if you prefer)
– 1m of 2cm wide fusible interfacing tape 
– Two 4cm wide D-rings
– Basic sewing machine and sewing kit

METHOD
1. Cut out your two 8cm x 108cm strips of fabric.

2. Lay out one of your fabric strips right-side down and fold in its long edges so they meet in the middle, pressing with a hot iron to crease the folds. Do the same with your second strip.

3. With one of your strips still right-side down, lay your interfacing tape along the middle, but starting about 4cm from one end and ending 4cm from the other end. Lay your other folded strip of fabric on top, face-up (i.e. folded sides down). Make sure all the edges of your two fabric strips are matched up exactly then press with a hot iron to fuse the interfacing (this just helps to strengthen your belt).

4. At one end of your belt, fold in the open edges by 1cm and press. Next, fold the corners of one edge in towards the middle by 1cm and press, then do the same for the other edge. Pin the top and bottom edges together.

5. At the other end of your belt, fold the edges in by 1cm and press, then pin together.

6. Sew all the way around the edge of your belt about 2mm in, removing the pins at the ends.

7. Take the straight end of your belt (not the one with folded-in corners) and loop this through the straight side of both your D-rings together. Fold this edge over by 4.5cm and pin in place. Now sew a 1.5cm wide rectangle at the end of the folded over section, removing the pin, following along the stitching that’s already there then sewing across the belt, to create a secure loop holding your D-rings in place.

8. To fasten your belt, all you have to do is thread the other end of your belt through the D-rings from the back to the front, then over the curve of the top D-ring and under the curve of the bottom D-ring. Then you’re good to go!

To see more of Anna’s sewing projects, check out her latest book – it’s all about bags!