I’m a lady with an hourglass figure. Literally, my bust and hips have the same measurement and my waist is exactly 10 inches smaller. 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 hits my boobs and hangs straight down, making me look a lot bigger than I am. That’s when a wide elastic belt comes in very handy. Plus wide belts elongate your waist, are super cute, and luckily for me, they’re incredibly easy to make.
Supplies
1 yd. wide elastic
belt buckle, same height as your elastic’s width
scissors
straight pins
measuring tape
needle
thread
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!
When you’re satisfied with the fit, fold the raw end of the elastic under twice and pin in place.
Finally, you can either hand or machine sew the elastic parallel to the belt buckle, removing straight pins as you go.
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). :)
marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings
November 25, 2013 at 11:11 pmok I so need to keep my eyes open for some belt hardware
margaret
December 8, 2013 at 7:29 pmThese 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!
Maya
October 9, 2014 at 9:01 amWould you be able to tell me the brand of the belt buckle you used? I can’t seem to find one like it!
Heidi
October 9, 2014 at 1:07 pmSure! I got the buckle pictured at my local JoAnn, and the brand was Dritz. :)
september heart
October 5, 2015 at 2:36 pmWhere can I buy 5″ black elastic, preferably cotton gabardine to make cinch belts.