Quilty Belt -- TUTORIAL

Today I'll show you how to make a "quilted" belt from a dollar store canvas belt and some fabric scraps!


SUPPLIES:
~Dollar store canvas D-ring belt
~fabric scraps (I chose Amy Butler scraps, of course!)

Step One: Cut off the D-rings and set them aside.

Step Two: Cut your fabric scraps to approximately twice the width of your belt. My belt was 1 1/2" wide, so I shoud have cut my scraps 3" long (It would have made this project much easier if I had cut them longer than 2 1/2"!) The width of your scraps doesn't matter much -- I think it looks more interesting if they are all different widths. Line your scraps up in the order you like, then stack them.

Step Three: Line up your first scrap to the cut edge of your belt, face down. Use your 1/4" foot and sew with the edges of the belt and fabric on the edge of the foot.

Step Four: Turn your belt over and pull the first fabric strap around to the front, pulling it taut. Lay your second scrap face down atop the first, lining up the edges.

Step Five: Sew all the way from top to bottom of your scraps, then

turn it right side up and press.

Continue in this manner until you have covered the entire belt.
(Yes, I am sewing it on the "wrong" side of my machine! No reason! Do it however it makes sense to you!)

This is what the back will look like.

Step Six: Lay your belt face down with the first end you sewed on the right. Using a rotary cutter and ruler, cut one edge of your scraps in a straight line parallel to the canvas belt, approximately 3/8" to 1/2" from the edge of the canvas. (If you don't have a rotary cutter, draw a straight line with a ruler and pencil or disappearing marker and cut with scissors.)

Step Seven: (Oops! No photo!) Cut a strip of fabric 1 1/2" x the length of your belt. (If you're using strictly scraps, you may need to piece this.)

Step Eight: Lay your belt right side up with the straight (cut) side on the right. Line up your 1 1/2" wide strip of fabric right side down on top, lining it up at the right. Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance all the way down the length of your belt.

Step Nine: Press as shown!

Step Ten: Turn your belt over. Press the unsewn edge of your fabric strip up about 1/4".

Step Eleven: Topstitch along the entire length of your belt where your long strip meets the scraps, pulling the fabric over tight as you go.

Step Twelve: Press the opposite side of your belt up over the edge of your belt. You will then pull the fabric strip over the raw edges you've just pressed and topstitch along the folded edge.

When you get to the end of your belt, stuff all the raw edges under your fabric strip to give it a nice finished end (hopefully looking much neater than mine!).

Step Thirteen: The other end of your belt will have raw edges. Thread your D-rings onto your belt, then turn the raw edges once, then over the D-rings.

Carefully sew along the folded edge, securing your D-rings. You may want to hand baste this first so it will stay in place. Then when you go to your machine to secure them, you may want to hand crank the entire length, as there is a lot of bulk. I find this helps avoid breaking needles! I sewed two lines of stitching to ensure it was very secure.

(Awkward self-photo of my belt!)

TA-DA!! It sounds like a lot of steps, but it really is pretty simple!