Wednesday Wisdom: Making a Vinyl Belt Out of Scrap Material

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If you're like me, then you hate to see good material go to waste. Unfortunately, in the textile industry, we end up with a good amount of scrap material. However, there is always a good project in scrap material. This avoids waste and, ultimately, can promote your brand using your very own product. Running with Scissors has a DIY craft that can utilize those scrap materials; vinyl belts.

 Article by Jessica and Lynette Kelly from Running with Scissors:

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I love belts, and I’ve been wanting to have a few colorful ones in the mix, but not wanting to spend $10+ for a belt that isn’t going to be worn often. 
It’s a simple accessory but can add a lot to an outfit and so today I’ll show you how I made a bright orange belt for my son.

For $1.50 this belt was easy, quick and simple to sew.
Supplies: thrifted belt, vinyl strip, snap pliers, needle & thread
Instructions:
I started off with a $0.50 ordinary belt from the thrift store.  
You can buy belt hardware in the notions of crafts stores, but a thrifted belt will always be cheaper. 
Cut off the old belt to get your hardware.

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Cut your vinyl strip the desired width of your belt doubled + 1/2”. 
So our 1” wide finished belt was originally a vinyl strip 2.5” wide and the length of finished belt + 2” or more. 
Fold the sides of the strip to the back, overlapping the layers by 1/4” so the finished belt is 1” wide.  
I chose to sew down the center back of the belt to secure the fold. 

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At this point I also sewed decorative top-stitching down the length of the belt in a zig-zag pattern from one side of the belt to the other. 
Then I sewed another zig-zag opposite to create diamond shapes down the length of the belt.  
One one end, you’ll cut a small hole about 1” from the end to attach the hardware through.

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Insert buckle with the right side of the belt up.

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Wrap the end of the belt down around hardware and sew across on the back side to secure. 
Take a scrap 5”x1” and fold the sides in to make thirds.  
Sew down the edges with 1/8” seam allowance to make the belt loop.

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Sew the bottom of the loop face up to the back of the belt. 
Wrap the loop around and adjust the length depending on your belt and how tight you want the loop. 
Due to the awkward position of the second loop side, I hand sewed it in place.

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To finish the end of the belt, I tucked the raw edges back into the tube of the belt and sewed across the end for a square finish. 
To create belt holes, I punched them 1” apart with snap pliers.

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You’re done! 
You could experiment with different materials, layer thin clear vinyl over fabric, or make lots of vibrant colored belts!

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Original article from Running with Scissors:
http://www.running-w-scissors.com/2012/12/diy-vinyl-belt.html

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