Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try out this “clear wide belt” trend for a while now. I saw it all over my feed and thought, “Hey, that looks pretty cool, I can probably rock that.” So, I started my little DIY project.
Finding the Material
First things first, I needed to find the right material. I didn’t want to buy a pre-made belt, I wanted to make it myself. I went to the local craft store – you know, the one with all the fabrics and random bits and bobs.
I looked through their vinyl section, and I had trouble at first, but then I found a roll of clear, thick vinyl. It wasn’t super stiff, but not too flimsy either. Perfect! I grabbed a yard of it – better to have too much than too little, right?
Cutting and Shaping
Back home, I laid out the vinyl on my dining room table. I had cleared it before. Then, I grabbed a ruler and a marker. I decided on a width of about 3 inches – seemed like a good, bold size. After double-checking and making sure, I used scissors to cut straight down the length of the vinyl.
It wasn’t the easiest thing to cut. The vinyl kept wanting to slip around, but I managed. Slow and steady wins the race, I guess. Once I had my long strip, I wrapped it around my waist to figure out how long I wanted the belt to be. I marked it with the marker, leaving extra room for overlap, and then cut off the excess.
Adding the Buckle
Now for the tricky part – the buckle. I rummaged through my old box of craft supplies, that old dusty box, and luckily, I found a big, silver buckle I had salvaged from an old purse. Score!
I used the box cutter to make two small slits on one end of the vinyl strip, just wide enough to slide the buckle prong through. Then, I folded the vinyl over the buckle’s center bar and secured it. I did this a few times, back and forth, making sure it was tight and wouldn’t slip.
Making the Holes
Next up: punching holes. Initially, I try to use a regular hole puncher, but the vinyl was too thick. So after I struggled for a long time, I switched to a box cutter, and carefully made round holes along the other end of the belt. I spaced them about an inch apart, making sure they were all lined up neatly.
Finishing Touches
Lastly, I trimmed any uneven edges on the vinyl to make it look all nice and clean. The cut was more smooth than before!
And there you have it – my very own, homemade clear wide belt! It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty proud of it. I tried it on with a simple black dress, and it looked surprisingly good! It added a little something extra to the outfit, you know? I even wore it out to lunch with a friend, and she asked me where I got it. I proudly said, “I made it myself!”