Belts: They’re functional, fashionable and fabulous!
Belts: They’re also sometimes ridiculously expensive and not the right size!

We’ve all experienced or witnessed that unflattering situation when unbelted jeans slide down, leaving a saggy bottom and visible undergarments. (Or plumber’s crack! Even worse!). And we’ve all heard that cinching a belt over a dress, blazer, or cardigan creates a slim waist (thanks Tim Gunn!). Since both of these are excellent reasons to don a belt, we refashionistas have found a way to do so, R.I.Y. (refashion it yourself!) style.

This project uses heavy-weight interfacing to stiffen a d-ring belt made from vintage fabric. We used a vintage necktie because the fabric is roughly the length we need for our belt (and they are dirt cheap at thrift stores!), but any woven fabric will work with this project. We purchased the interfacing and the d-rings at our favorite fabric store, but extra credit if you re-use these pieces from an old belt you have lying around!

Step 1: Sew Cinchy!

Finally, take one of the hemmed ends of the belt and insert it through the pair of d-rings and make a 1 to 2 inch fold. Sew down the folded end to secure the belt to the d-rings and you’re all done! That was super cinchy!

Step 2: Measure It Out, Way Out.

Using an existing belt in your closet that fits you well, measure the desired length of your new belt. If you don’t have one for comparison, just thread your tape measure through the belt loops of your favorites jeans to (and remember to add some extra length for cinching!) Add 2 extra inches to your desired length to fold through the d-ring. This will be the total length for your interfacing. To determine your fabric length, add one more inch to the interfacing length (see step 3).Our interfacing length was 46 inches long.

Step 3: Stop! Interface Time.

Determine the width of the interfacing, which depends on the size of your d-rings. We used 1.5 inches d-rings and we subtracted 1/8 inch for spacing.Our interfacing was 1 3/8 inches wide.We measured, marked and cut a piece of interfacing to 46” x 1 3/8”.

Step 4: Totally Tubular.

The width of the fabric tube you’ll be making will be ¼ inch wider than the width of the interfacing to accommodate for the thickness of the interfacing. (If you’re NOT using a tie for this, make sure you also account for seam allowance when cutting your fabric).

The width of the fabric tube we made was 1 5/8 inches.

To create the tube to your desired width, fold the fabric lengthwise (party side to party side) and pin a line down the length of the fabric, 1 5/8” from the fold.Using a medium-length straight stitch, sew a seam down the pinned line.

Cut off the excess fabric, about ½” to the outside of your stitches. If you are not using a tie, you won’t need to do this cutting.

Step 5: Totally Tubular.

The width of the fabric tube you’ll be making will be ¼ inch wider than the width of the interfacing to accommodate for the thickness of the interfacing. (If you’re NOT using a tie for this, make sure you also account for seam allowance when cutting your fabric).

The width of the fabric tube we made was 1 5/8 inches.

To create the tube to your desired width, fold the fabric lengthwise (party side to party side) and pin a line down the length of the fabric, 1 5/8” from the fold.Using a medium-length straight stitch, sew a seam down the pinned line.

Cut off the excess fabric, about ½” to the outside of your stitches. If you are not using a tie, you won’t need to do this cutting.

Step 6: Closing Time!

Turn the fabric tube party side out using a safety pin as your guide and thread the interfacing through your new tube. Attach a safety pin to one end of the interfacing to make this a little bit easier. This is just like threading a drawstring through a casing.

Use your fingers to tuck the rough ends of the fabric towards the inside to create a finished edge on both ends of the belt. You can use a pin to hold these in place before you sew them closed with a straight stitch (or zigzag for a more decorative closure), or just pinch the fabric with your fingers before you put it under the presser foot of your machine.

Step 7: Sew Cinchy!

Finally, take one of the hemmed ends of the belt and insert it through the pair of d-rings and make a 1 to 2 inch fold. Sew down the folded end to secure the belt to the d-rings and you’re all done! That was super cinchy!