Belts - Two versions

      I've taken all of the clothing out of my Etsy shop for the time being, until I can get all the correct labels and such made for them. In the mean time, I've been rumbling about trying to come up with some fun accessory type things to put in it. The idea of belts came to me, because I can't ever find ones that I really like all that much. I really love clothing and accessories that mix aesthetics, (rough/soft, rugged/feminine, etc.) and that has an element of uniqueness about it. I like a bit of an eclectic look too, as if you could have picked up a bit of your outfit from random places you've traveled to.

     With those desires in mind, I came up with this belt. It is made from wide crochet trim, leather, and two steel rings.

     As you can see, those rings were an awful gold color. (I found a pack of six of them in the macrame section of the craft store) The first order of business was to "rustify" them to my satisfaction. I tossed them in a bucket with enough bleach to cover them and a about a half cup of vinegar. Do NOT do this inside, and do NOT breath it!!! This mixture is extremely toxic and is intended to corrode metal...it will BURN YOUR SKIN if you get it on you. I let it sit overnight. It was pretty gross the next morning.

      This is what the rings looked like, straight out of the mixture. You can see there was a lot of chemical build up.

    I scrubbed them off with shower cleaner to get all the build up off. Then I had a grand time banging them with a hammer to achieve the nicked up finish I wanted. I found that hitting them at an angle produced the most pleasing sort of nicks.

      Once I was satisfied that they looked sufficiently rustic enough, I began constructing the belt. I cut a strip of leather to sandwich the very end of the belt, to give it a nice finished end.

       Next, I cut a piece of leather that looked like this to sew around the ringed end.

     It should sandwich the rings like so.

     I sewed two lines of stitching there, to hold it nice and securely.

      I just love the contrasts on this belt!

      Its just the look I was going for, and its so easy to wear too.

      I also put together another version too. This one has a bit of a nautical vibe to it.

     It is much quicker to do. I simply sewed narrow crochet trim onto woven strap.

      I made sure to sew about ten inches of trim on the back of one end too. You don't want the tail to show stitching when you wear it. I sewed two O-rings the other end.

       That's all there is to it to this one!

      I think it fits the ticket for a simple and summery look.

       I've got a more dressy one up my sleeve too, for the more sophisticated look. I'll have to show you that one later. I'm totally having fun with these! =)

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

linking to:
Someday Crafts
My Girlish Whims
Sew Much Ado
Sew Woodsey
Freckled Laundry
Singing Three Little Birds
Boogieboard Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors
The CSI project