I decided to make a belt for my silk skirt as a finishing touch. I did look at a few tutorials online for making fabric belts. These suggested using “belting”. I looked in all my usual craft shops and then hunted on the web and found nothing for sale in the UK. In the end, the lady who kindly served me in Fabric Land suggested that I try using Petersham’s tape. It has just the right thickness and flexibility.
You will need:
Petersham’s tape
Buckle
Fabric that matches your dress or skirt
Paper for making belt pattern
Measuring tape
Loop turner
- Wearing your skirt or dress you wish to match the belt for, measure your waist (in my case, 85 cm) or the place where the belt will be worn.
- Add several extra centimetres to allow for the belt to pass through the buckle and be held in place by the belt loops. I allowed an extra 20 cms for this in my design.
- Cut a length of the Petersham’s tape to the length calculated in the previous step.
- Measure the width of the Petershams tape. (Mine was 2.5 cm)
- To create the pattern for the belt, draw the length of the belt and add 3 centimetres to that. Total length for pattern =108 cm. For the width, double the width of the Petershams tape (5.0 cm) and add a seam allowance (4 cm). Total width for pattern= 9 cm
- Cut out the fabric using the pattern piece created above.
- Fold the fabric in half and sew down the length of it, making sure that the seam is made to accommodate the width of tape (i.e. 2.5 cm)
- Trim and press the seam allowance flat. Make sure the seam is in the middle of the belt.
- Sew a straight line along one edge. Trim the seam allowance.
- Pull to the right side using the loop turner
- Insert the tape. Make sure the seam is centre on the back of the belt. This takes a while!
- Sew up the end of the belt so it’s tidy.
- Iron the belting, making sure the seam is in the middle.
- Next, it’s time to add the buckle. Fold the end of the belt through the buckle and sew in place.
Steely Seamstress 
Pingback: Look what I bought! | Steely Seamstress