Grosgrain Belt Tutorial

Everywhere I look I see cute little sashes and skinny belts tied around cardigans, tunics and sundresses. And I can't tell you how many times I've pulled on an outfit and thought "All this needs a little (insert outfit-specific color here) belt!"

Well, I got an email from a reader, Penny (LOVE that name!), asking for some belt-making tips, and it encouraged me to finally hop off my crafting tush, and make a few!

It only takes a few minutes, and the possibilities are endless! It's also sort of one-size-fits-most, so it would make a nice gift for mom as well! :o)

You'll need:

• Ribbon
• "D" Rings
• 1-2 flowers

1. Start by cutting a 45" length of ribbon, or about 1.5x your waist size. (this is not an exact science, so it's fairly easy to guess if you're making it as a gift!) Then wrap one end of the ribbon around both D rings, fold under, and pin:

2. Stitch down.

3. Then fold over the other end under twice and hem.

4. Take apart two flowers, and put them back together into one, alternating layers. You can use two different colors, or two of the same for a nice, full flower.

5. Stitch an "x" in the middle, and sew to your belt so that it covers the D rings:

All done!

(step 6: fight the urge to make 10,000 more)

It's also quite fetching with a hand-made rosette or three!

And if you have enough ribbon, try stitching two pieces together with contrasting thread to make your belt a little more sturdy feeling, like I did with the orange one!

The camera did not love me today, but here are a few shots of the belt in action:

:o)

If you're not sure how to tie the belt without the tail hanging down, here's a (sad) little diagram I made:

(as if your belt is on, and you're looking down at it, with the rings in your left hand.)

That will make it so that your tail is neatly tucked into the inside.

So there you go, Penny! I hope that helps! :o)

And our Dear Lilly giveaway winner will be announced a little bit later today, so watch for it, and be sure to enter if you haven't already!

Also be sure to check out what wonders Dana's up to today!