project: obi belt

about 85% of my clothes come from thrift stores. which means about 40% of those require some sort of tailoring before i can wear them. most of the time, it's just a simple hem. and i'm usually left with a nice band of fabric. my favorite thing to do with it? double it up and make it into a tie belt (to wear with the skirt or a different one).

here's my latest one made of this gorgeous silk skirt that was really, really long.

i cut 2 strips...each the longest i could get out of the fabric: 39.5" x 9". then i sewed the short ends together to make a REALLY long piece. then folded the whole thing in half lengthwise (right sides together), stitched around the edges (leaving a hole to turn. then turned and stitched the hole closed.

the yardage on this skirt was pretty fantastic, so i was able to get a really, really long belt that i can wear wrapped twice and tied in a knot (kind like an obi belt). or i can wrap it once and tie it in a big floppy bow. the same can be done and worn as a floppy bow scarf.