These little belts are easy to make and great for kids because of the velcro closure. Each belt costs about $2.00 in supplies.
I started with 1″ webbing:
Fused Plastic Patchwork Belt (A Tutorial)
I did two projects for this week’s S.Y.T.Y.C. contest entry and had my friends vote on which I should submit…..this was the winner, but I chose the other project instead…..hope I’m not sorry in a week! I’m completely in “gift” mode right now…..and I think this belt would make a great gift for a little girl or boy depending on which kind of plastic you used. It is a very sturdy, functional belt. It would even make a cute dog collar!
I seriously had to eat 4,000 Starbursts and drink 5 2-liter bottles of Diet Orange Crush for this project…but happy to do it!
Step 1: Collect different types of plastic….candy packages, soda labels, etc. You will also need several plain white plastic grocery bags (or partially white).
Step 2: Cut the plastic grocery bags into 4″ strips. These are going to form a plastic base for your belt.
Step 3: Create a “sleeve” using parchment paper. (You can also use freezer paper but see directions here) Lay the grocery bag strips on one side of the parchment paper, several strips thick, overlapping them slightly.
Step 4: Close the sleeve carefully. Iron (no steam, medium setting) along the freezer paper sleeve to melt the bags together. You’ll have to do this for about a minute…. keeping the iron moving slowly at all times. Let your sleeve cool. This is important because plastic tends to curl when it cools. The white plastic grocery bags tend to shrink considerably so check for “voids” or holes..this means your heat setting is too high.
Step 5: Cut your decorative plastic (i.e. the candy packages or soda labels etc) into 1″ x 4″ strips.
Step 6: Lay your first strip at an angle, close the sleeve and iron to fuse it to your bottom white layer……
……after removing the iron I placed a heavy coffee table book on top of the sleeve to make sure the plastic cooled flat.
Step 7: Repeat this process for each 1″ plastic strip, alternating designs as you go and overlapping each piece over the previous by 1/8″ to account for shrinking. REpeat until the entire length of plastic is covered.
Step 8: Cut a piece of cotton canvas webbing the length of your belt. Trim your fused plastic piece to be the same width as the webbing.
Step 9: Sew the fused plastic piece to the webbing 1/8″ from the edge all the way around.
Optional Step: Since my belt used “D” rings, the webbing would show when the belt was fastened. I took two of the trim scraps and fused them together to create a piece large enough…….
……to sew to the back of the belt on the end that threads through the “D” rings.
Step 10: Zigzag all of the belt edges.Place your D rings on one end of the belt and fold your belt end back. Sew the fold closed. You may have to use a zipper foot here if your D rings get in the way (I had enough room and was able to use the regular foot).
Finished belt! So cute and funky!
Scrap Ribbon Belt (A Tutorial)
I have so many ribbon scraps that are under 2″ and I’ve contemplated throwing them out many times. This is what I came up with to use them all up….a ribbon belt. But you could use this technique for tons of other things….a headband, a purse strap, a drink coaster…..I had to narrow it down eventually!
Update: Project time is about 2 hours. Sewing the belt in small increments actually makes it go faster than you think…..
The belt pictured is reversible to the pink and green jacquard backing.
I used every ribbon combination imaginable. The more colors, the more interesting. Making the belt I worked in small 6 inch sections and tried to limit the repeat of ribbon throughout.
Grab your scraps and let’s get started!
Before starting you’ll need the following materials:
:: Ribbon Scraps
:: 1.5″ cotton webbing
:: Dritz Fray Check or thread glue
:: 1.5″ D Rings
:: Coordinating thread
Tools needed: sewing machine and scissors
:: 1.5″ cotton webbing
:: Dritz Fray Check or thread glue
:: 1.5″ D Rings
:: Coordinating thread
Tools needed: sewing machine and scissors
Before starting you’ll also have to measure your waist or hip area….(where you like for your belt to sit) and add 8″ to that measurement.
Step 1: Cut your cotton webbing for your belt length based on the measurement above.
Step 2: Take scrap pieces of ribbon and line up next to each other on your cotton webbing. You can pin the ribbon……
…..but it is easiest just to put each ribbon on one at a time as you sew down the side of the cotton webbing (about 1/8″ from the edge of the belt). Just make sure to leave your needle down when you lift the foot up to place the next ribbon. Stop once you get 6 or 7 inches of ribbons added (I refer to these as your “short” ribbons). This 6 to 7 inch length is about all that is manageable to weave at one time.
Step 3: Place 2 to 3 ribbons perpendicular to the ribbons you just sewed on (I refer to these as your “long” ribbons). Sew these ribbons onto the cotton webbing.
Step 4: Weave the long ribbons over and under the short ribbons.
Step 4: Making sure all the ribbons fit tightly together, sew the other end of the long ribbon pieces to secure them to the belt.
Step 5: Carefully sew the short ribbons securely to the belt (about 1/8″ from the edge of the belt).
Step 6: Trim your shorter ribbons on each side so that they are flush with the cotton webbing….
…..and trim your longer ribbons leaving about 1/4″.
Step 7: Repeat all of the previous steps starting with laying a piece of short ribbon over the 1/4″ ends that were just trimmed. Continue until you have another 6 to 7 inch length of short ribbons sewn on to the belt.
Step 8: Add your 2 to 3 longer ribbons by sewing directly over the stitch that secured the previous long ribbons. Then trim these ends to about 1/8″.
Note: In between steps you might want to add Fray Check to your ribbon edges if they start to unravel.
My assistant was a huge help in picking out each sequence of ribbons.
Step 9: Use a zigzag stitch to sew all the edges of the belt.
Optional: I cut a long piece of ribbon jacquard (1″ shorter than my belt length to leave room for the D rings) to sew onto the back of the belt for decoration and attached it with the zigzag stitch.
Step 10: Place your D rings on one end of the belt…..
……and fold your belt end back, and sew the fold closed. You may have to use a zipper foot here if your D rings get in the way (I had enough room and was able to use the regular foot).
Step 11: Trim any frayed edges or threads and add thread glue or Fray check where needed.
