Vintage Sewing - Fabric Covered Belt Tutorial
Fabric Covered Belts – Simple Vintage Sewing Methods
Dress belts can be the perfect way to enhance a waistline of a vintage dress and bring the perfect finishing touch
They can be made lightweight to compliment a summer dress and finish the waistline, or lined with grosgrain or Petersham ribbon for more heavy use.
Buckles can be purchased made for self covering with fabric, or use any decorative buckle of choice.
the simplest fabric belt is simply lined with woven or fusible heavyweight interfacing.
Cut belt twice desired finished width and at least 6 inch 15cm longer than your waist measurement. add seam allowance of 12mm or 1/2″.
Cut and apply interfacing to half width pf your belt , iron on or baste stitch. Cut point at one end.
Sew the long edge, leaving a gap in centre to turn through. reinforce stitch the point and corners.
Trim seam allowance and clip corners.
Turn through using a blunt pencil, knitting needle etc. Poke corners out.
Slip stitch the turn through gap closed by hand. press well and loop a buckle at one end.
For a heavier weight Fabric belt back it with a grosgrain or petersham tape.
This is a strong tape and you can punch holes for inserting metal eyelets for the holes.
baste or use a bondaweb adhesive heavy interfacing just a fraction narrower than your finished belt. turn fabric raw edges over this. If you are using a bondaweb wonderweb fusible adhesive it makes it very quick and easy.
if not hand or machine top stitch the fabric edges in place. Use a size 18 machine needle and strong thread.
To finish the stronger belt hand sew, machine sew or use a contact cement on both sides to attach the grosgrain / petersham tap to back of belt.
If using contact cement you apply to both sides and wait at least 15mins until not gloopy or sticky then press firmly together. weight down if you want. it will be at full strength after 24 hours.
This is a strong tape and you can punch holes for inserting metal eyelets for the holes if desired..
Don´t be snobby about gluing textiles! many older books from 1800´s to late 1950´s use glue for fabric belts, handbags, hats and adornments.
Attach buckle to the flat end, punching hole in needed for the spoke.
