When I ordered a tunic from Wet Seal, it came with an elastic and faux leather belt. The belt was cute, but too big and I couldn’t do my usual cutting trick since the elastic was sewn to the rest of the belt. I came up with another solution:
1. I tried the belt on and figured out how much length I needed to lose in the elastic.
2. I laid the belt flat, found the center, and pinched a section into an inverted pleat. I made the pleat big enough to reduce the belt's circumference by the desired amount.
3. I held the pleat shut with binder clips while I hand-sewed two rows of stitches – one on either side of the fold.
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4993248229_cce098d83e_m.jpg)
Detail of the fold (pleat).
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/4993854224_b4a6b478db_m.jpg)
View of the back of the belt. This is the part that shows when the belt is worn.
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/4993249049_427987a0bb_m.jpg)
View of the inside of the belt.
So far, the stitches have held for numerous wearings. Here are a few outfits with the modified belt:
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4618615804_718d3f7ff8_m.jpg)
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/4992453599_fd89e2fbc9_m.jpg)
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2728/4104894854_8d3f875c0c_m.jpg)
7 comments:
Add a brooch to cover the seam! Yay for more opportunities to accessorize! =]
You're so clever! I don't have the patience to hand-sew.
I've done something similar with too-small elastic belts. Proportionally, my waist is quite small, but I'm generally a pretty large person, so a lot of the cutest belts out there are uncomfortably tight. Not just uncomfortable, but unflattering as well!
I fold the belt in half, then - this is the scary part - cut it in half. I have a large selection of faux leather left over from my days as a handbag maker, and create a single extender sewn into the center back. I try to pick a color that coordinates with either the buckle or the band.
I actually get more compliments on my belts altered this way than on the ones I leave alone!
what a great tip to fix a belt!! i love it! keep 'em coming!!! {jackie}
me likey this tips :)
Thank goodness! I just got a supercute belt from The Gap and need to make it smaller. Perfect!!
Ahh great idea! Modcloth had cute belts on sale so I bought a bunch in size M/L but they ended up too baggy. So glad I Googled a solution THANK YOU!
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