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How to Use Buttons on Belts

March 27th, 2009 in sewing, patterns & designs, fashion

Mary Ray, contributor

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A group of buttons and some elastic covered with suede make an “artful” new belt.

Some simple supplies are all you need to make this belt and buckle.

I used two long strips of suede that I sewed wrong sides together along each side to make the tube.

A group of buttons and some elastic covered with suede make an “artful” new belt.

Photo: Mary Ray

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I have a pretty big button collection including lots of large buttons that I’ll probably never use on garments. And I have a lot of single buttons that could be mixed together on a garment, but I don’t always want to do that, so grouping them on a buckle is a nice way to show them off. Besides, I love belts. They’re a great way to dress up and really personalize an outfit. I’ll show you a couple of ideas I used to turn buttons into buckles, and I’ll show you how to make a “cinchy” belt, too.

The “Artful” Buckle and Cinch Belt
When I was in junior high, one of the accessories I just had to have was a cinch belt. Years later, they were back in style again. I still had a tiny waist, so I bought one that was four inches wide and I wore it to death. Low and behold, they’re back in vogue again. My waistline has expanded, so a great stretch belt is an opportunity to be fashionable and comfortable at the same time.

What you'll need:

Wide waistband elastic that’s available in most notions departments
Fabric to cover the elastic
Flat hooks and eyes to close the belt
Heavyweight interfacing to back the ends of the belt
One or more buttons to make the “buckle”

Some simple supplies are all you need to make this belt and buckle.

1. Cut a strip of elastic that comfortably stretches around your waist with about a 1-inch overlap.

2. Cut a strip of fabric that’s twice as long as the strip of elastic and twice as wide plus 1/2 inch for seam allowance and 3/16 inch for ease. If you use real or faux leather, see the photo below for cutting directions. It’s fine to seam several strips of fabric together to get the total length needed.

I used two long strips of suede that I sewed wrong sides together along each long side to make the tube.

3. Fold the fabric strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the long edges together with a 1/4-inch seam. Turn this long tube to the right side and press.

4. Feed the elastic through the tube, letting the fabric gather up. Stitch the ends closed, sewing through both layers of fabric and the elastic.

I fused the seam allowances down so they wouldn’t interfere when I fed the elastic through the tube.

Feed the elastic through the tube (a large safety pin is the best device I’ve found for doing this).

5. Cut two pieces of fabric to enclose the belt ends. Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of each. Fold each in half, turning in the raw edges. Cover the belt ends and stitch them in place.

Fuse firm interfacing to two pieces of fabric or leather to make the end caps for the belt.

Machine-sew the end caps in place (if using leather, trim the edges).

6. Sew flat hooks to one end of the belt and flat eyes to the other end.

Flat hooks and eyes are all you need for the closure.

Hand-sewing through leather and suede can be hard. A needle-nosed pliers helps to pull the needle through the suede.

7. Stack a selection of buttons, then sew or glue to the top end of the belt.

Select buttons that work together.

Sew the buttons together and to a small scrap of the fabric or leather.

For some single “artful” buttons, check out Crone Art, one-of-a-kind buttons and embellishments.

To make this “jewel” buckle, I started with a bunch of glass buttons I purchased recently at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Atlanta at Dusty's Vintage, a great booth loaded with vintage buttons, linens, and trims. Unfortunately, they don’t have a website or a retail store—they only sell at shows—but you can e-mail them at lclinens@aol.com or give them a call at 413-245-0339 to find out their show schedule.

I used the buckle from an old belt that I covered with the buttons. Keep in mind that there are lots of types of buckles, and each one probably needs to be handled differently. But here’s what I did to smother my buckle with buttons to create a whole new look.

Vintage glass buttons make a jeweled buckle and ribbon forms the belt.

I removed the padded section from the buckle.

I traced the half-moon shape onto a piece of silk organza, placed the organza in a hoop, and hand-sewed the buttons to the silk.

I trimmed the organza, wrapped it around the buckle, and glued it in place.

I replaced the padded section now smothered in buttons.

I also found this beautiful group of buttons at Dusty’s Vintage booth at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Atlanta.

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posted in: sewing, patterns & designs, fashion, buttons, suede, buckles, belts

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Comments (3)

ChessWidow writes: Great idea! Thanks for sharing. It seems that I can never find the right cinch belt when I want it & now I can make my own. I also have some large buttons that I bought on a whim (because they were on clearance) that would be great on a belt like this. :)
Posted: 6:03 pm on April 3rd