Guest Blogger Suzannah's finished belt!

Hi there, Presser Foot folks!
I'm back, Suzannah from Adventures in Dressmaking here to show you how I did the ribbon part of my belt.
I took my ribbon, marked its center and the center of the belt with pins, and pinned it together.
I followed Rian's instructions and pinned the loops 2 1/2" apart...

I turned under the back edge and sewed it down (no pics of this but you'll see it in a couple steps).
I sewed down vertically where the pins where, leaving a small gap of exposed vinyl at the center of each floop.

I'm not much of a pinner, so after this step I just held things in place. I sewed down the center, flattening the floops centered on the vinyl gaps.

Whew! I was done with the machine part of this belt. I broke three needles on it. Four total yesterday, three on this belt. I was doing something wrong, I'm sure! I used a 9, a 10, and a 12 on the belt and broke all of them. Urrrrrrgh, it was frustrating. I know there's a better way.
But anyway. Next, I hand-sewed the tuck-up and tuck-down pices, rather than machine tacking. In the original picture it loooks like there's a flat button or something (the white dots), but I didn't have any of those, so I just stitched.

The steps I used for the hand-sewing were to first sew the top and bottom edges together:

Then, rather than squishing it down flat:

I gave it a little fluff and curled it back toward the center seam:

I did the same one up, one down pattern, with the exception of the middle floop, which I just tacked straight down.
Here it is!

Take a look at the back side for more of what it looks like when done:

Ta-da!
I wore a belt in this style and shape yesterday over a JCrew blouse that was a little too loose to be cute, although I don't usually belt my natural waist. But it is a cute look!
Can't wait to wear this and, when asked, say I made it!
Thanks, Rian and Kelli, for the opportunity to make and share this belt!

Alternate Ribbon Accessory (flowers)

As I have been experimenting with different belt options I came to the realization that I didn't need the same exact belt in multiple colors. We started with 3 different back band options but we now enter "1 belt 10,000 different ways." I found this tutorial on Craft Wise for making these fabric flowers. I altered the sizes and shapes slightly to crate a little variation and visual interest.

1. Follow the tutorial steps 1 through 4 on Craft Wise.

2. Instead of hand sewing the center of the flower I used the circle button hole stitch on my machine to both secure the petals and attach the flower to the belt.

3. I bought small sphere buttons and attached them through the center of each flower. I had planned on hand sewing them through, but the vinyl proved too tough for me. Instead I clipped off the back button loop with some wire cutters and hot glued them in place. They seem really secure, but we shall see if they hold in place.

Next Month's Pattern + Some Changes

Because both Rian and I are going thru some major changes over the next few months (we are both having babies and Rian is moving to China) we decided to change things up a bit for awhile. We will not be doing giveaways or guestbloggers for the next few months. We will, however, still be posting as much as possible and doing a project each month.

That being said, here is a pic of March's project:


It's a tutorial I put together that requires no pattern, is super easy, and can be used as a maternity item (I am 8 1/2 month's prego in this pic) or it also makes a cute belted tunic type top for those not expecting. I like to call it the Maternity or Not Frock. I'm excited for you to see how easy this is to make so be thinking about what fabric you want to use. (you will need close to 3 yards of fabric) I hope you will all participate.

More to come on the Maternity or Not Frock March 1st...

From Guest blogger Suzannah: Work in Progress: The Belt!

Work in Progress: The Belt!

Hi there,
Suzannah from Adventures in Dressmaking again! I'm here to show you my steps on the belt we're replicating this month at Presser Foot.

So here's what I did. Using the Presser Foot instructions and formulas for size, I started with my grey vinyl and cut it to the width I wanted, adding 1/2" on both sides for seam allowances.

Then I cut the fabric backing for the belt (I'm gonna use the same fabric for the "ribbon"), the same size as the vinyl.

I looooove my see-through ruler, it is so useful!

Here are my materials for the belt itself. (I didn't have wide enough grey elastic, so I thought about using the black, but then I got some wider white, so ignore the black elastic in this picture).

I pinned the fabric backing and the vinyl front right sides together, and sewed along both long sides.

I flipped and turned it right side out (this was a drag!), and pressed it as flat as possible. That vinyl is sturdy stuff!

I tucked the ends in and finger-pressed them a little, in preparation for putting in the elastic.

I inserted the elastic in the middle of the end (wish I had elastic the same width as the belt, but oh, well) and pinned.

I just sewed straight across the end, then turned the corner and topstitched on the long seams.

There it is! Plain, but a belt. Ready for trim. The topstitching makes it look pretty good already, I think. I used about 1/4" (the width of the presserfoot).

Next I used my "ribbon." I had a small piece the width of the fabric (about 60"), which I trimmed up evenly to the width of the surface of the finished belt. No seam allowances on this ribbon piece.

I switched to a really thick cotton thread, so the stitching would show up. I used that same scant 1/4" seam from the edge and sewed along both sides.

That's where I am so far. I'm looking forward to more instructions here on PresserFoot for how to do the fun part--the tacked-down ribbon trim that adds that nice texture and cuteness to the belt!
Stay tuned for more pics!


Suzannah

Sewmamasew blogger

Please head on over to the amazing Sewmamasew to see our featured tutorial on how to make a fabric flower and incorporate it into a wedding as part of their True Love month.

Attaching your ribbon, the final step!

1. complete ribbon prep (click here)

2. Find the center of the ribbon, fold in half, measure down 2 1/2 inches, and pin

3. find the center of you belt and pin your loop on either side of the belt center line, leaving a 1/4 inch gap between the pins

4. sew ribbon to belt over pins creating a 1/4 inch gap of visible belt

5. center and flatten ribbon loop and pin down

6. measure 2 1/2 inches from belt center line and mark. this is your new “center line”. lay side ribbon flat to belt up to your new center line. create a new 2 1/2 inch loop as in step 2 and follow through to step 5. repeat to the end of your belt in both directions. I ended with a half fold on both ends, as seen below. sew the end of your ribbon with a 1/4 inch seam where it ends up for you before pinning it down trimming off any excess. your flattened loops should just touch each other, as seen below.

7. with all of your loops flattened sew a straight line down the center length of your belt

8. starting with your center loop fold up the bottom half.

9. fold down the top half of the loop

10. pin folds in place on either side of the center line

11. working from either side of the center loop alternate the order of folding up or down the loop first. on the center loop we folded the loop up first, so on the loops to the side of it fold down first and then up. continue alternating to both ends. sew the centers in place with a short tack.

12. unpin. trim excess frayed edges and threads. wear and love.

(stay tuned for alternate belt ideas)

Ribbon Prep

With your basic belt in place it is time to accessorize!

1. Cut ribbon length according to formula (click here)

2. If you use grosgrain ribbon or anything with a finished edge you will want to trim off the edge binding on both sides. If you are using fabric I suggest you rip the fabric the desired width to give you the slightly frayed edge look we are going for.

2. Stitch long lengths of the ribbon at 1/4 inch (picture below shows me sewing 1/4 inch with a finished portion folded over next to it). You don't need to sew the ends of the ribbon as you will do that when you attach it to the belt and will then know exactly how long you need it.

3. You are now ready for assembly!