How to Use Buttons on Belts

Mary Ray, contributor

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A group of buttons and some elastic covered with suede make an “artful” new belt.

Mary Ray

Some simple supplies are all you need to make this belt and buckle.

Mary Ray

I used two long strips of suede that I sewed wrong sides together along each side to make the tube.

Mary Ray

A group of buttons and some elastic covered with suede make an “artful” new belt.

Photo: Mary Ray

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I have a pretty big button collection including lots of large buttons that I’ll probably never use on garments. And I have a lot of single buttons that could be mixed together on a garment, but I don’t always want to do that, so grouping them on a buckle is a nice way to show them off. Besides, I love belts. They’re a great way to dress up and really personalize an outfit. I’ll show you a couple of ideas I used to turn buttons into buckles, and I’ll show you how to make a “cinchy” belt, too.

The “Artful” Buckle and Cinch Belt
When I was in junior high, one of the accessories I just had to have was a cinch belt. Years later, they were back in style again. I still had a tiny waist, so I bought one that was four inches wide and I wore it to death. Low and behold, they’re back in vogue again. My waistline has expanded, so a great stretch belt is an opportunity to be fashionable and comfortable at the same time.

What you'll need:

• Wide waistband elastic that’s available in most notions departments
• Fabric to cover the elastic
• Flat hooks and eyes to close the belt
• Heavyweight interfacing to back the ends of the belt
• One or more buttons to make the “buckle”

Some simple supplies are all you need to make this belt and buckle.

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Comments (7)

Artisan1 writes: Wonderful Idea. I have aquired a very large collection of buttons, and am trying to find ideas for their use.
Posted: 12:44 pm on September 10th

SewingReview writes: What an excellent idea! I've been pondering ideas for buttons lately as well, this is perfect.
Posted: 11:42 pm on March 12th

susan72 writes: What would you make these from if real newbie?? Looks so cool and must have some. Me & daughter in law.
Posted: 8:07 pm on March 10th

Carolebarrel writes: How creative are these. Fabulous ideas. Thank-yu, thank-yu, thank-yu.
Posted: 10:48 pm on March 9th

ChessWidow writes: Great idea! Thanks for sharing. It seems that I can never find the right cinch belt when I want it & now I can make my own. I also have some large buttons that I bought on a whim (because they were on clearance) that would be great on a belt like this. :)
Posted: 6:03 pm on April 3rd

studiorouge writes: Love it!
Posted: 10:27 am on March 27th

Maureclaire writes:
Fabulous !!! Sooo exciting !
Posted: 4:04 am on March 27th

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