Project: From Plain Used Belt to Fashion Statement

By Rena Tang
While cleaning out our closet to find items suitable for donation, my husband found a huge pile of old clothes that no longer fit us. Experts say that after the age of twenty, the average person gains a pound a year. By the foreboding stack of clothing that he managed to collect, I knew that we were no exception to the rule. While bagging up our bounty, I noticed that my husband was donating some nice leather belts that could no longer accommodate his waistline. I snatched up a couple of them, figuring that I could repurpose them for myself. I just loved the worn leather look of them, but the belts were in need of a feminine touch. Here’s what I did.

Materials

Leather belt, your size or longer a worn belt seems to work better because it is more flexible
Utility knife
Ruler, at least 12″

Directions

Step 1: Lay out the belt flat. Using a utility knife and a ruler, cut the belt into three strips lengthwise. The left strip should be 1/4 of the width of the belt; the middle strip is 1/2 of the width; the right strip is 1/4 of the width. Cut the strips up until you reach the belt buckle (strips should still be attached to each other as well as the buckle). To cut the leather, it is easier to score it slowly and go over it several times.

Step 2: Loop the left strand over the middle strand (figure a), then loop the right strand over the left strand, under the middle strand and then between the left-most strand and middle strand (figure b), and tighten (figure c).

Step 3: Loop the right strand over the middle strand (figure a), then loop the left strand over the right strand, under the middle strand and then between the right-most strand and middle strand (figure b), and tighten (figure c).

Step 4: Repeat Step 2.

Step 5: Repeat step 3. Continue repeating Steps 2 and 3, alternating the starting strand until there is not enough of the left or right strand to make a tight weave. Turn the belt over.

Step 6: Take the left strand and tuck it under the middle weaved part all the way up until the strand is hidden. Do the same for the right strand.

Step 7: If the belt is too long, punch a new hole and cut the extra length of the belt. You can also tuck in the extra belt length as seen in the diagram (the belt leather is actually going through two holes and looped back).

About the Author

Rena Tang (aka The Cheese Thief) is a wife, mother, programmer, and lover of all things creative. She especially loves to make unique, cute, simple and inexpensive things from everyday items. You can check out her ideas and tutorials at The Cheese Thief.