Do you ever sew a dress and then when you try it on think, “This thing just needs something extra”?
I do so many times!
And a lot of times a belt is just what it needs. But it needs to be comfy!
And a braided belt out of stretch fabric is very comfy!
There are two different braided belts, a 3 strand and a 4 strand belt. This tutorial is how to do the 3 strand belt.
I have used a lot of double brushed fabric in the past so I have a lot of scraps of that. I tried other types of knits like ponte de roma and it didn’t curl at all. Then I tried a Liverpool fabric and it curled beautifully only when it was cut across the grain.
It makes a difference what type of knit fabric is used. T-shirt knit would work really well too so if you have some old t-shirts around that are the right colors for your dress you could chop them up too.
I also found out if I cut the double brushed fabric across the grain it curls towards the right side of the fabric and if it’s cut with the grain it curls towards the wrong side.
The Liverpool curled towards the wrong side when I cut it across the grain, which was perfect. So test your fabric before cutting everything for your belt.
Here goes.
Cut 3 strands of your choice of material. I am using Liverpool fabric. I cut the strands 1.5 inches wide and 1.5 times my waist circumference.
Now pull and stretch the strands so that they curl.
Tie all 3 strands together in a knot. Hook the knot onto a door handle or a nail hammered into the wall like I did😉 Taping it to the wall works too. This holds the whole thing steady as you braid.
I braided fairly loosely since I wanted a flatter braid.
Once the braid is finished tie another knot at that end and trim.
Done!!! 👏
I hope that made sense! Let me know in the comments below! 😊
I like that you said what length you used, because I have not been able to figure that out. And the one time I did a braid I sewed 3 "tubes". Doing it this way, with the curl, seems like a lot less work!!! Thanks!!
You’re very welcome!