Do you know what’s hard to find? A belt for a toddler girl. Next to impossible. And then when you finally do find one, it’s kind of ugly.
I know that seems strange for an almost three-year-old to need a belt, but her jeans were forever falling down, even with those adjustable waist straps inside. Elise needed a belt and since the universe was not cooperating, it was up to me to make her one. Luckily, this process was so super easy and quick. I can’t wait to make another one!
I found a ribbon belt in my closet that came with a pair of pants I bought years ago, so this belt was patterned after that.
I bought a spool of 7/8 inch grosgrain ribbon. Elise picked it out. (Could you tell?) A bit surprising because we’re not super pink around here, but it is a universal color that will go with a lot of her clothes.
I measured her waist over her clothes (24 inches) and then added about seven inches. My plan was to fuse two layers of ribbon together, so I doubled the total measurement to 62 inches and cut my ribbon. (This ended up being a little long for 3T Elise, so next time, I will probably shorten it a few inches.)
I folded the ribbon in half, right sides facing each other and sewed the ends together creating a giant loop of ribbon. I flipped it right side out and flattened it.
I had some hem tape on hand, so I used that to stick the two layers together. Pins should also work just fine, if you don’t have hem tape.
After following the hem tape directions, I was left with a two-layered length of ribbon, which made it a bit stiffer and sturdier than a single layer might have been.
Then I sewed both edges of the ribbon, securing the two layers together. I used a matching thread color, but you could certainly do a contrasting color instead.
Onto the hardware! I found the D-rings at Jo-Ann ($2.29 before coupon). Four rings is enough to make two belts!
I put the sewn end of the ribbon through two rings and sewed across. I sewed back and forth a few times, which made the stitching look a little messy. Do as I say and not as I do: limit yourself to twice across.
Then I took the other end of the belt, folded it and sewed across just to make it a little easier to put through belt loops.
A word of caution, if I were doing this again, I would avoid the glitter ribbon. When I bought it, I mistook the glitter for sparkly fibers woven into the ribbon. No such luck. Glued on. It looks good now, but I’m not sure how long that will last.
No matter. If this one turns to junk, I’ll clip off the D rings and make her another. It only took a few minutes, start to finish.
