D-Ring Belts

Often I introduce a new pattern by talking about the stroke of inspiration that got me started. But in the case of these ultra quick, ultra cute belts, I’m afraid I can’t take much credit. Page, one of Purl Soho’s owners, has wanted us to make belts for as long as I can remember, I suspect because belts are the perfect vehicle for Page’s favorite thing, a pop of color!

Page is a true lover of statement-making color, a dash of neon, a touch of citrus, a burst of tomato. At a recent meeting she breezed into the store wearing a white shirt, white pants, and a blinding orange scarf, managing to make the wild shade seem playful and chic at the same time!

So when we started carrying D-Rings and Fish Buckles we all knew what would soon follow: belts! We picked the prettiest of all our trims and elastics in vibrant eye-popping colors, added some creamy neutrals for balance, and I set to work sewing a slew of them.

I came up with two incredibly easy belt patterns, this one using d-rings and cotton webbing, twill tape, and ribbon and another using fish buckles and elastic. Sized for adults and kids, these one-of-a-kind belts would make an ideal party favor or gift because they literally take five minutes to sew and because they’re seriously cute! I have a feeling Page will soon be sporting a new belt for each day of the week! -Molly

Materials

To make one belt in any size:

• For a waist measurement of 29-inches or smaller: One yard of cotton webbing, twill tape, or grosgrain ribbon. For a larger than 29-inch waist: 2 yards of cotton webbing, twill tape, or ribbon.
• A pair of D-Rings in the width of your trim. It’s better for the ring to be slightly larger than the trim rather than smaller.
• Thread to match the belt material. You can use 100% cotton thread or Polyester Neon Thread depending on the color you’re matching.

For the example I used Reversible Polka Dot Webbing in Green, 1-inch D-Rings, and Neon Thread in Limedrop.

Update May 2024: While no longer carry many of these specific materials, you can find all of our sewing related products at this link!

Pattern

Measure your waist or the waist of the person you’re making the belt for.

For a child’s waist (up to 20-inches) cut your trim to be 5-inches longer than the waist measurement. For a woman’s or mans waist cut the trim to be 7-inches longer than the waist measurement. For the example the waist size was 29-inches, so I cut the piece to be 36-inches long.

Zig Zag stitch both ends of the webbing going backwards and forwards a few times to make sure it won’t fray later.

Fold one end of the webbing 1-inch towards the wrong side and place both of the D-Rings inside the fold with their flat sides against the fold as shown above. Pin the fold shut.

Using your basic presser foot place pinned end, folded side up, so that the right edge of the foot is flush against the flat side of the d-ring. The foot should be able to lower all the way down and not be on top of the d-rings, just up against their sides.

Sew the fold down across the webbing in a straight line using the edge of the d-ring as a guide. Go back and forth a few times over this seam to make it very secure.

Flip the end over to the right side and sew a second seam across the width 1/8-inch to the left of the first seam. Again, go over this seam backwards and forwards several times to make it very secure.

Fold the opposite end of the belt over 1/2-inch twice towards the right side.

Sew this fold down several times going backwards and forwards to secure the seam tightly.

The right side of the belts ends will look like the photo above, with the d-rings neatly encased on one end and the wrong side folded over towards the right side on the opposite end.

Here is a picture of the wrong side, with the d-ring seam visible on one end and the hemmed fold hidden on the opposite end.

To fasten it place the belt right sides out.

Pull the hemmed end through both of the d-rings as shown above.

Then pull the hemmed end through the far d-ring so the wrong side of the webbing is showing. This will secure the belt!