DIY Bow Belt

Before I begin, I just want to thank everyone for their support! I know a few people have been waiting for me to finally write this up, so thank you for being patient with me. 

If you're in the discord, you're well aware of my obsession with belts. They're a great way to add detail to the center of an outfit and spice up a simple look. These bow belts are quick, easy, and cheap to make.

Supplies

• 1 1/4 in width elastic 
• 1/4 yard of cotton fabric 
• Stuffing
• Sew-in Velcro (DO NOT USE STICK ON! IT WILL NOT WORK)
• Access to a sewing machine and a basic sewing kit
• Paper and a pencil
• Ruler

Steps

1) Draft the belt

Take your waist measurement. On your paper, draw a line that matches this length, and another that is 1.75 inches long intersecting it at a 90 degree angle. You're essentially just making a very long and skinny rectangle. Using the waist measurement from before, add an inch to that number and cut that length of elastic.

 

I'm using my acrylic ruler, but you can use a standard one as well!

I use contractor's paper for drafting my patterns since standard printer paper is not long enough for something this length. If you don't have access to something like this, just tape pieces of paper together to create the length you need.

2) Draft the bow

This took a few tries to get right sizing wise. Ultimately I decided that a pattern that was 4.5 in wide and 3.5 tall created the best looking bow. The center part is made of a long skinny strip that is 1.5 inch wide and 5.5 long and cut on the fold.

3) Cut out the fabric

Lay your pattern out and cut out the pieces. Sew your belt pieces together to make one long strip that is double your waist measurement. Press the seams open and iron all of the fabric before sewing!

Ignore the bow pieces here, this was for an earlier attempt and these were far too large for the belt.

Sewing my belt pieces together

Make sure to press your seams!

Make sure to iron all of the pieces before sewing.

4) Pin everything together

Fold the belt and the bow strip hot dog style and pin in place 

Again, this bow is sized differently than the finished product! But the method of pinning is exactly the same.

5) Sew your pieces together

Make sure to leave a small opening to flip the bow inside out and stuff it later.

6) Assemble the belt

Flip your belt tube inside out (this typically takes a while. I use a chopstick to help move this process along) and insert your elastic. Using a safety pin, pull your elastic through the fabric casing. I overlocked my edges, turned them under, and stitched these into place.

Using a safety pin for this process will save you so much time.

Overlocked edges to prevent fraying

 Next I attached my velcro strips. I used about an inch and a half for the closure of my belt.

Pinning the velcro into place

Sewing on the velcro!

Stuffing the bow! I just used a small handful of stuffing and made sure both sides were evenly plump.

tada finally I show the 'right' sized bow haha

I apparently forgot to take pictures, but when I make bows I like to baste down the center of the bow to create a a nice even gather. Just pull the thread taut and it will give your bow that cinched look without putting tension on the center piece.

Once again I just overlocked the ends since they wouldn't be visible once the bow was attached. Sew these ends together.

Finally, sew this bow to the belt! I sewed it on at the center and sides as well just to hold it in place

The Finished Product

I've worn this several times so far, and I love how versatile it is! It just adds a little pizzazz to the center of your outfit, and is really great if you want to break up a monochrome look. These belts are really popular for spank style looks as well, and I plan on making another one in the iconic white x black polka dots for my spank outfits. 

Let me know what you think in the comments below! And as always, if you try this, please tag me on social media. I'd love to see it!

Until next time!

~RoseQuartzRoyalty