• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
    • Punch Needle
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube

How-to: DIY a Wide Belt

November 25, 2013 7 Comments

How-to: DIY a Wide Belt at Hands Occupied

I’m a lady with an hourglass figure. I like my figure, but a lot of modern clothes aren’t necessarily designed to flatter my silhouette. Belts, dresses and higher-waisted pieces are staples in my wardrobe. Sometimes I find a cute dress that doesn’t have a tailored waist, or a top that hangs straight down, masking my waist entirely. That’s when a wide elastic belt comes in particularly handy. Wide belts elongate your waist, are super cute, and they’re incredibly easy to make.

Supplies

a piece of wide elastic long enough to fit around your waist plus 4 inches
belt buckle, same height as your elastic
scissors
straight pins
measuring tape
needle
thread

How-to: DIY a Wide Belt at Hands Occupied

Directions

Measure your natural waist with a measuring tape. Cut your elastic to the size of your natural waist plus 1.5 to 2 inches, depending on how wide your belt buckle is. Your belt should fit quite snugly, with just a little stretch to the elastic when you’re wearing the finished belt. I recommend pinning your cut elastic to your belt buckle as shown below and trying it on, pin side out, for size before sewing it together. If it’s too loose, you can increase the seam allowance or trim excess elastic before sewing. Easy!

How-to: DIY a Wide Belt at Hands Occupied

When you’re satisfied with the fit, fold the raw end of the elastic under twice and pin in place.

How-to: DIY a Wide Belt at Hands Occupied

Finally, you can either hand or machine sew the elastic parallel to the belt buckle, removing straight pins as you go.

How-to: DIY a Wide Belt at Hands Occupied

That’s it! A crazy simple DIY belt that’s super slimming for people needing to accentuate an hourglass waist, or for people wanting to emphasize a subtle waist (my mom and I have very different body types – she tells me creating a waist illusion is important). :)

Filed Under: DIY Style, How-to, Sewing Tagged With: belt craft, craft, crafts, diy belt, diy style, elastic belt, flattering belt, Sewing, simple, wide belt diy

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

Previous Post: « Weekly Reader
Next Post: How-to: Vintage Style Santa »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • How-to: Back Seat Pet Protector How-to: Back Seat Pet Protector
  • How-to: Faux Bois Sweatshirt & Tree CostumeHow-to: Faux Bois Sweatshirt & Tree Costume
  • How-to: Balloon Garland | Hands OccupiedHow-to: Balloon Garland
  • How-to: Duck Tape Tablet Case & Foldover ClutchHow-to: Duck Tape Tablet Case & Foldover Clutch

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

Comments

  1. marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings

    November 25, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    ok I so need to keep my eyes open for some belt hardware

    Reply
  2. margaret

    December 8, 2013 at 7:29 pm

    These belts are great to wear with low cut jeans also! Keeps them from puckering in the back….and they are comfy. Never thought to fold under the elastic at buckle. That makes them look better. Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Maya

    October 9, 2014 at 9:01 am

    Would you be able to tell me the brand of the belt buckle you used? I can’t seem to find one like it!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 9, 2014 at 1:07 pm

      Sure! I got the buckle pictured at my local JoAnn, and the brand was Dritz. :)

      Reply
  4. september heart

    October 5, 2015 at 2:36 pm

    Where can I buy 5″ black elastic, preferably cotton gabardine to make cinch belts.

    Reply
  5. Alicia Bouck

    August 24, 2020 at 5:04 pm

    Awesome! I would love to make my own belt. Were do you find your belt hardware?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 8, 2020 at 7:07 pm

      Big box stores like JoAnn, but my favorite is local shops and indie online retailers. They usually have interesting finds! :)

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

UPDATES BY EMAIL

Monthly highlights sent to your inbox.

Find Me Elsewhere, If You’re There

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi GustadDiscover Unique Items

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Yarn craft designer & author. Into intarsia knits, latch hook, color & vintage-modern style.
❤️ Email for pattern support
👇🏻 Book, Patterns, Tutorials

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
If you look closely, you’ll see I’m casually k If you look closely, you’ll see I’m casually knitting from one sweater into another here, no big deal. (What can I say, I lost a game of yarn chicken. 😂) I almost didn’t post this because I was worried someone might have some nonsense to say about my ability to knit. Then I remembered I can’t care about that. Silly me, I almost forgot myself! 
.
Speaking of which, dang it’s good to have my mental health back consistently after the past couple of years. The anxious parts of my personality are just chilling, rather than constantly screaming that my work isn’t good enough to share. The confident parts of me that matter have me creating (and starting to share my creations & process with strangers and friends) again! 
.
Anybody else feel like they are beginning to return to themselves, so to speak, this spring?
I’m feeling better, & all my [big, bad bug] proj I’m feeling better, & all my [big, bad bug] project needs is a couple of short sleeves! I’ll be finishing this sweater *just* before it gets too warm to wear, but isn’t that always how it goes? 🫠🧶 
.
#knittersofinstagram #soldotnacrop #handsoccupied #knitincolor #springknitting
Just divided the sleeves on this quick sweater, wh Just divided the sleeves on this quick sweater, which has unsurprisingly turned into a love letter to primary colors. ❤️💛💙 The heart stripe is a wee tweak I incorporated, and I don’t regret it! 
.
 #handsoccupied #soldotnacrop #strandedcolorwork #knitting #yokesweater
I am unfortunately home bound for the near future I am unfortunately home bound for the near future thanks to the big, bad bug. So far I’ve knit half a sweater, consumed about a gallon of ginger tea, & plowed through 3 seasons of Pit Bulls and Parolees. 
.
June doesn’t understand why I’m suddenly so boring, but she seems to like watching animal planet. 🤷🏼‍♀️
A bit of Saturday swatching. 🧶 I am working in A bit of Saturday swatching. 🧶 I am working in greyscale today to practice designing “without color”. Kinda cool, kinda weird. We’ll see if it yields anything interesting! 😆
.
#intarsia #intarsiaknitting #stopswatchandblockit #handsoccupied #knittersofinstagram
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy