Lengthen an Elastic Belt

Have you ever bought something that was a bit too small with the intention of someday, somehow fitting into it? Have you ever, actually accomplished that feat? Me either.

When I bought this black elastic belt, it was a bit too snug, even when fastened as loose as it could be. Since you almost never find elastic belts in like-new condition at thrift stores, and since I was feeling overly optimistic about future goals, I bought it anyway. Fast forward about a year, and the belt is still too snug. (This doesn’t actually bother me though, as I’ve recently adopted a new mantra – “Stop hating yourself. You look fine.” But that’s a whole other story…)

I could buy a better fitting belt, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, I made the belt fit me. The whole process is very easy, and only took about five minutes. Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: Gather your supplies. You’ll need the belt, elastic of the same width as the belt, scissors, a ruler (or you can just guess), matching thread, and a sewing machine. (You could probably to this by hand as well, but it would be more time consuming.)

3-inch wide belt and 3-inch wide elastic.

Step 2: Cut belt in half.

Step 3: Cut desired length of elastic to lengthen your belt. Be sure to allow for seams. (I needed a 4.5 inch piece of elastic.)

You’re halfway there!

Step 4: Using a straight stitch, sew the new piece of elastic to the cut ends of the belt with the right sides together.

Step 5: Open the new seam and use a small zigzag stitch to secure the edges of the elastic. Sew along both sides of the two new seams.

Straight stitch, zigzag stitch, and done!

Step 6: Wear your belt and stop telling yourself you’re fat. Seriously. Stop that.

Much better!

Note: You can also shorten a belt by using a similar process. Instead of adding elastic, remove a section of elastic from your belt to make it fit better.

- Elizabeth
aka The Hungry Octopus