Hi Girls,
Thanks so much for your interest in this design.
First, collect your ties - you'll need about 8 - 10 of the wide ones from the 70's. Also pictured are packages of "Wright's Double Fold Bias Tape Extra Wide" and ""Wright's Bias Tape Double Fold" - either width will work, this tute will feature the extra wide tape. You'll also need the Dritz Large Eyelet kit, and about 2.5 yards of 5/8-inch wide black velvet ribbon. Of course you can substitute whatever you like for these items - be creative!
Cut off the bottom 7 inches of the tie (You can make a hat from these!) Then cut the NEXT four inches from the remaining piece of tie. This is the section that works for the belt. They should be between 3 and 4 inches wide at the widest point and tapered.
My sewing machine has a triple zigzag stitch. It's one of the decorative stitches. If your machine doesn't have this, you can use a regular wide zigzag with a heavier thread.
Okay - Basically sew the sections together with the wide zigzag. Just feed the sections through side by side - no pins, no "right side together." Keep the wider edges at the bottom - you'll get a curved shape - like a smile - after all 8 or 10 sections are sewn together. Keep checking for fit to determine how many sections to add.
Here is a close-up of the back:
Now remove any tags, labels or loops from the back of the ties and zigzag over the seam in the center back of each section.
When it is long enough, round off the corners at the ends of the belt. I do this by tracing a junk cd with chalk around each of the four corners and trimming.
Now, serge or staystitch about 1/8-inch around the entire edge of the belt.
Here is a close-up:
Then pin the folded bias tape all the way around. The tape wraps around the edge of the belt so that the front and back are both outlined with the black bias. I use regular long pins on the straight sides of the belt and then small short pins on the curved ends. This is the most difficult part of the project. Just be patient and pin carefully. Remember the shorter side of the bias tape goes on the front side of the belt and the longer edge of tape wraps around to the back of the belt.
Stitch to secure the bias tape with the same wide zigzag stitch all the way around removing pins as you go.
Install three grommets on each end of the belt according to the package intructions.
Now lace up with ribbon.
Voila!
Please give this project a try. Some of these techniques might be new to you but they are not hard, I promise.
Take care - and let me know if you have any questions.
