With this braided cotton belt you decide the length and color
Belts are one of those things every wardrobe needs. If you lose or gain a little weight, it's especially useful to have one around of course — and a good belt makes a fashion statement too. But you don't just have to have a strip of polished leather: all kinds of materials look great as belts. Here's a trick for making one yourself, and just the length and color you want.
You'll need:
- measuring tape
- thick cotton yarn or cord in two colors
- belt buckle
- scissors
- textile glue
Here's how:
First it's a good idea to measure your own girth around your waist or hips depending on where you like to wear a belt. Add one foot to the length and then multiply this number by two. Cut three strands of yarn, each of this full length.
Hold all six strands together and thread them through the buckle, tying a knot exactly at the middle of the strands' length. Now for the plaiting.
Place one strand of one color (here white) over a strand of the other color (blue), and now a second strand of color one under the same strand of color two.
Now place a second strand of color two over the first strand, and then under the second, of color two.
Now repeat the steps going backwards, with a third strand of the first color.
Repeat this until each strand of each color has been woven once and now lies on the opposite side. Start again from the other side.
This way, the current strand you're plaiting will be woven around strands of the same color.
This pattern emerges where the colors first mix and then create a triangle.
Weave the belt until you've reached your desired length and then glue the last plait together well with your textile glue. Once the glue is dry, you can cut the ends.
And now you have a finished belt. To fix the buckle just stick the prong through the yarns at the spot where you want it to hold.
You have a little work to do before you get to the end but that "I made this myself" feeling is worth it. You can make bracelets, keychains, or other accessories with the same technique. Then you'll just need less (or more) yarn, colors, etc., but the process is the same!