How to Make a Belt Out of a Seatbelt Buckle

Some of the most interesting avant garde fashion are those that are homemade and fashioned from found or recycled objects. An old car seatbelt is an instantly recognizable item that's already intended as a type of belt, making its conversion from a safety utility into a garment device a clever, tongue-in-cheek statement. 

• 1

  Fasten the buckle and adjust the extra slack on the insertable side so the belt is at its longest.

• 2

  Prepare the cut ends of the seatbelt. Trim them so that the ends are straight and you remove any frayed strands. Dip the cut ends in liquid hemming solution to keep them from fraying later. Alternately, hold the edges close to the flame of a lit candle; if they're made of a plastic synthetic fabric, the strands will melt together.

• 3

  Sew the ends of the belt together. Overlap the ends of the cloth by about a half inch. Hand sew a zigzag stitch across the overlapping area, then stitch back the other way with a second layer of zigzag stitching that crosses the first. Finish with two lines of running stitches (straight stitches), one on either side of the zigzags. This will create a strong seam.

• 4

  Fasten the belt around your waist and tighten it to where it's comfortable. Do this over form-fitting clothing.

• 5

  Trim the end of the belt. Allow yourself about five inches slack to loosen the belt, but remove the excess length to keep the belt neat.

• 6

  Glue or melt the end of the trimmed belt as you did with the sewn ends.