I used a rhinestone buckle for a touch of glamour, but you can choose any buckle you like—new or vintage.
* ⅛–¼ yard of print fabric for the belt
* ⅛ yard each of 2 contrasting fabrics for the ruffles
* ⅛ yard of fusible fleece
* Bar buckle of your choice with 1½” opening
* Appliqué glue
* Belt fabric: Cut 3½” wide × the length you want your belt.*
* Fusible fleece: Cut 3” wide × the length you cut the belt fabric minus ½”.
* Ruffle fabrics: Cut several ½” strips totaling about 4 yards in length (½-yard increments are best for creating the ruffles).
*Measure your waist and add 10”—this allows 5” for finishing the ends and folding through the buckle, plus 5” of hangover when wearing the belt. If the measurement is greater than 44”, you’ll need to piece 2 strips together.
See Sewing Basics on page 20.
1. Center and press the fusible fleece to the wrong side of your belt fabric strip.
2. Press the short ends in ¼” toward the wrong side of the fabric
3. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with right sides facing.
4. Sew the long edges together to create a tube.
5. Turn and press flat, with the seam in the center of the back.
note: These are raw-edge ruffles.
1. Using a long basting stitch, sew straight up the center of your ½”-wide strips.
2. On each strip, pull the top threads to create a ruffle. It helps to pull from one end, ruffle the strip halfway, and then pull from the other end.
3. Press the ruffles flat with a hot iron and steam to set the ruffles in place.
1. Mark the belt 1” in from an end. This will be where you start the ruffles.
2. Glue each short end of 1 ruffle strip under slightly, using appliqué glue.
3. Starting at the mark, use appliqué glue to lightly tack the ruffle along an edge of the belt, aligning the ruffle and belt edges. Press the ruffle strip down.
4. Repeat with the rest of the ruffle strips until you have ruffles along both edges.
5. Stitch the center of each ruffle to the belt.
1. At the end of the belt where you left 1” free, fold down the corners toward the center as shown to create a triangle. Sew across the base of the triangle, then around the tip, backstitching at each end.
2. At the other end of the belt, slide on the buckle. Fold the end over the bar about 4” or however long will work to size it correctly for you.
3. Sew the end to the belt to secure the buckle.