Wearable Art: Make a Fun Fabric Patchwork Belt

Supplies

One of the fun parts about patchwork is that you get to use several different prints, colors, and even sizes of fabric all randomly mixed together to create your end result. Tara shows how much fabric is needed to create the width of the belt and explains how to determine the length based on your waist measurement. She also shows what hardware is needed for the belt closure and explains how different hardware can be used as well. While pins can be used for this project, Tara uses fusible web and a spray adhesive to hold fabric in place for stitching. If you plan to use a spray adhesive, it is important to get one specifically for fabric and sewing that will not gum up your needle or machine.

Construction

In this sewing tutorial, Tara shows how to construct the patchwork belt using a method that doesn’t require the belt to be turned right-side out. She uses this method because heavyweight fusible interfacing is used to give the belt some stability, which can make it difficult to turn right-side out.

Patchwork

Once the structure of the patchwork belt has been completed, Tara shows how to embellish it with actual patchwork. She demonstrates how to stitch together different-sized pieces of fabric that are then trimmed down to create a fun center panel. She then embellishes the patchwork belt further with fun pieces of fabric that are stitched in place using a free-motion technique. Tara explains how this is done, including how to set up your machine and what foot is required. Once the patchwork belt is stitched, Tara shows how to finish off the ends with a hem on one side and D-rings or other hardware on the other.