How to sew a belt from genuine leather

In this material I would like to show you how to sew a belt from genuine leather.

I will use a blank made of vegetable tanned leather 4 mm thick and 40 mm wide. Anyone who has a belt cutter can cut the necessary strips themselves.

Let's start with a list of necessary tools, materials and consumables.

Saddler. You can use a special one for a belt, but I was comfortable with this too, since a convenient clamp allows you to quickly move the workpiece.
Cutting mat.
Blank for belt 40 mm wide. Or a belt cutter if you want to cut the strips yourself.
Pattern for belt. One part of the pattern allows you to conveniently mark the locations for the holes for installing belt screws and buckles, the other for marking the counter holes for the buckle tongue.
Buckle and belt screws.
Edge cutter.
Parallel marker. Only needed if you are going to stitch a belt.
Lowercase punches. I use round ones, with 5 mm pitches. Like the marker, they are needed only in the case of firmware.
Conical awl.
Slot punch. Size 25 mm x 5 mm. Needed for the hole for the buckle tongue.
Round punches. 3mm for belt screws. 5 mm for matching holes for the tongue.
Plastic backing for punches. Allows punches to remain sharp longer.
Scalpel. Or any other sharp knife.
Hammer. Or a special mallet.
Waxed thread. I use flat, wicker, 1 mm thick.
Toledo Super leather paint from Kenda Farben. In my case it is brown 33022.
SETA finishing cream. Excellent finish, evens out the color well, dries quickly, and gives a subtle, pleasant shine.
Tokonole. Edge polishing agent. Also used to smooth the bakhtarma (inner skin).
Needles.
Slicker. For polishing ends.

Important Details

When planning the process of making a homemade belt and thinking about how to make a belt with your own hands, you need to understand in what situations it is needed.

Many people want to wear the same accessory with both trousers and jeans. But the former have narrower belt loops, while the jeans have wider belt loops. However, trousers are different from trousers. Therefore, you should measure using an old belt of the same width and draw conclusions based on the results of the measurements.

If the buckle has only one section, you will need an additional belt loop on your trousers or jeans (their width should not be more than one and a half centimeters). When there are more sections, belt loops are not needed.

For sewing a belt, it is better to choose a strong, thick thread. It would be good if it contained a weave of several thin threads.

When making fastening, and at the same time decor, with thread, they try to choose a wider “pitch” of stitches. It's not obligatory. Frequent stitches also look good.

Product with picture

To make a plaque with a picture of your favorite band or actor, the following materials will be useful:

While working, your hands must be wearing gloves, as you can get dirty and damage your skin with the resin.

It is necessary to read the instructions for using the special resin.

To begin, pour the resin and hardener into the container and mix thoroughly. Then heat this mixture in a water bath. The liquid will become very viscous, so it is best to stir it with a wooden stick (suitable for a popsicle or sushi).

Options for decorating a leather belt

With the help of decor, you can create a unique masterpiece from an ordinary belt. Methods:

firmware. It can be simple or form an ornate pattern;
embossing – a pattern is applied to a moistened surface using a stencil and trimmed with a special undercut knife. Using a mallet (wooden hammer) and a stamp, a three-dimensional pattern is created, then the belt is dried;
carving (engraving) – the image is applied in the same way as with embossing, then the cut out contours of the image are “achieved” with a sharp one, and volume is added with a beveler;
decoration with metal fittings of various sizes and shapes, rhinestones, stones;
combination of materials.

Curtain tiebacks

Both regular curtains and Roman curtains will look better with such a tieback than without. In the first case, we can be inspired by the works of Mathilda Clahr, already familiar to us, in the second, we are guided by a master class.

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Tools, accessories

As a rule, handmade leather belts are not made by beginners. Therefore, the arsenal of tools already includes the most popular tools in craftsmanship. But if you are a beginner and want to start making a belt, check the list of necessary tools and accessories.

What a master needs:

for marking - compasses, rulers, awls, scribers, saddlery marking tools (you won’t necessarily need everything at once, but if the hobby is not a one-time thing, it’s worth gradually accumulating the entire base);
for cutting - various knives, including polishing, saddlery, French, English, Japanese;
a splitting machine for thinning a product - it is usually purchased by a craftsman who actively sells his products;
From the accessories you will need buckles (the choice is individual), in some cases - carabiners and swivels, frames and handle holders (for informal designer work).

The tool is acquired with experience; each master has his own preferred knife or awl, which is convenient in most types of activities. Some people get by with a minimum of tools, while others need a whole rack with all kinds of knives and compasses.

Holders for hanger bars

The same as with shelves, only even simpler. These slats can be used in the kitchen or bathroom: they are convenient for hanging towels. The main thing is to fasten the crossbar with leather loops so that the structure does not fall apart. However, if you do this only on one side, it will be possible to broadcast handbags, beads or ties onto such a crossbar.

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Tips for a needlewoman

To give the belt greater strength and strength, it can be stitched by stepping back 3-4 mm from the edge manually or using a special sewing machine. This must be done before installing the rivets, or you can even replace them with firmware.
When polishing the edges with beeswax, try not to stain the front part - streaks may remain.
Make the pattern from durable material. Do not make stencils for decoration from paper. If it gets on wet skin, it can get wet and the pattern will “float”.

Making a leather belt is not easy, painstaking work, but very interesting. In addition to a wonderful thing, you can acquire a useful hobby, which can subsequently become a source of additional income.

What is a veil?

How to decorate a dress with rhinestones?

Mount for watch or mirror

Fashionable mirrors and watches suspended on a leather strap can cost up to 48,000, so investing a couple of hours in creating such an item with your own hands is not at all a pity. The most logical place to look for things to experiment with is IKEA. We came across examples of improvements to watches and mirrors.

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How to cut and make holes?

Cutting and perforating leather is very difficult, especially when making a thick men's belt.
You need a stationery or construction knife with a thick, well-sharpened, rigid blade. Guide it perpendicular to the surface of the skin, tightly placing its edge against a metal ruler (straight cut on one end) or a curved pattern (rounded on the other).

Strap cutter (belt cutter) is a tool for cutting strips of leather of the required width (for the base and belt loops).

A punch is a device for making holes. It is installed vertically on a point marked on the canvas, and a blow is applied from above with a hammer or a wooden block. The pointed edge of the nozzle (they vary in shape and diameter) cuts into the material and creates a hole:

for rivets – small circle – 2 mm;
for holes for the peg – larger diameter – 5 mm;
under the buckle there is an elongated strip.

Tortsbil (edge cutter) is a tool for processing (rounding) the edges of a belt. With its help, a chamfer is removed along the front and back edges along the entire length of the belt.

Important! Tools must be very sharp and made of durable metals.