Reflective Belt in 5 Minutes

How-To: Sew a Reflective Belt or Pant Cuff

This is the etsy set up. Watch the Livestream video HERE.
What you’ll need:

  *fancy black & reflective grosgrain ribbon w/ reinforced metal belt holes. (Available at Pacific Trim on 38th street in NYC)
  *appropriately sized buckle.
  *measuring tape
  *silver or black thread
  *sewing machine with zipper foot

(You could hand sew this, but the recommended stitch length is basically as small as you can – meaning that hand sewing is likely a lesson in frustration and non-durability. )

First: Measure your waist – and by that I mean where ever you wear your pants – for some it’s at the natural waist where it’s the smallest, near the belly button, and others wear it lower around the hips where it’s wider. Whatever that number is you need that +6″

*Optimize your task by cutting at the very edge of the metal holes so you have more space to fold the ribbon over and fit it through a machine.

Then: Using the zipper foot sew the buckle into one end (making sure the buckle is facing the correct orientation)

and Turn in the edge and sew down the other end.

Here’s what the buckle looks like once attached and the finished belt end:

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These are pretty examples, but for *Durability* I recommend sewing all the way across AND back stitching. In fact, go crazy and make a mess of it (back and forth – back and forth!) because it can only make your belt stronger and longer-lasting.


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Pant Cuff Variation:

Exactly like the above but smaller.

  1 Measure how wide your calf is
  2 Add 3″ to that measurement to add the buckle and give yourself something to work with. (You can always make it smaller on the finished edge)
  3 Follow the instructions above.

That’s it!

>>>Don’t forget to post questions, images, projects or ideas in the comments field.