Bits About Needlepointing Belts
Needlepointing belts is such a fun past-time and can be a great way to document your life or that of a loved one. Roll them up and keep them in your bag for your commute, keep them stretched perfectly on a scroll frame beside your couch or use binder clips to keep your work in place. Whether you stitch your belt canvas as a traditional belt or think outside-of-the-box, I put together a few tips below to think about when considering stitching a belt and included a few of the belts I have made or designs.
Treasured Heirlooms
This photograph makes me smile every time I see it and makes me day dream about future designs. It is of a belt that I designed and painted for my friend Katy and her now husband Nick. She stitched it for him to wear on their wedding day in Bermuda and I love how we incorporated the date above the silhouette of the island.
We included many playful motifs that symbolized their relationship. This was a belt that she stitched for him when they got engaged.
Who says you can have too many belts?
This belt was finished by Mary Mac, linked below.
Belt Bags
Belts are fabulous for stitching on the go!
I used to keep this belt in my handbags for long Uber rides when I lived in Boston and then Cambridge.
It was a great way to get in some stitching and not scroll a 5k on my phone while chatting with my drivers. There were a lot of twenty to thirty-five minute drives that helped me make strides in stitching this belt for a family friend in RI.
It featured the recipient’s monogram and eight golf related motifs in celebration for his 60th birthday. Can you guess his favorite hobby?
I loved playing with such a cheerful color and simplifying various symbols into simplified icons.
If you are stitching in hand, binder clips or sewing clips can be really helpful in keeping your work taught. Roll what you’re not working on and clip in place. Another great option is to invest in a scroll frame! I have yet to try the scroll frame, but it is a popular method for stitchers.
Life Belts
This is a belt that I made for Mr. Oceans. It has lots of motifs that are important both in his life as well as our time together.
The belt includes his monogram, a shark, an anchor, a guitar, Edgartown Lighthouse, a Tarpon to represent visiting my parents in BG, scientific motifs, pine trees, Vermont and my favorite, a brook trout!
We tend to give each other handmade gifts for Christmas, but it also happens to be his birthday! So I decided to take the plunge and make him a belt. He wears it all the time and it’s so cute how his face lights up when he gets a compliment.
Quarantine has me debating whether or not to stitch them for each of our groomsmen.
Finishing Touches
Belts can be incredibly versatile in finishing possibilities. Create a camera strap, guitar strap, handbag strap, flip flops, key fobs, finish on lumbar pillows, create luggage racks, hat bands, tote bag straps, flask wraps, you name it!
I have had wonderful success with The Needlepoint Clubhouse and know that Hilltop Leather and Mary Mac are cult favorites! Their sites inform you on all guidelines including sizing, how much you need to stitch, what your customization options are and how you should send it in.
Do note that turn around times can be several months so do plan ahead! For example, at the moment of writing this post, Hilltop’s turn around is 11 weeks.
They typically ask that you stitch two rows on both the top and bottom of your work for when they bind it to leather. Shana of @sbtstitches has a fabulous guide for creating a binding stitch if you would like to forego the two rows of fold over stitches. Here is her How-To Guide!
Celebrating Milestones
This is a belt that I made for an exciting client! Can you guess who? I sketched this in the car on the way up to Burlington and even painted it while visiting family, delivering it when we got back to Boston. The stitcher gave it to her husband for his 30th birthday and I loved the creativity that went into making it! It also really tested my limits to pull it off.
Maybe the symbols represent a specific event, hobby or theme or perhaps it represents all of the wearer’s favorite things. The possibilities are limitless. Needlepoint shops can connect you with their custom designer to create the belt canvas of your dreams.
In order to select your canvas size, you should stitch a length that is four inches shorter than your belt size. So if you are a 32, the amount of stitching that you needlepoint is 28 inches. Of that stitching, two inches on either end of the design will be covered during the finishing process. This means four full inches will be a solid background color. If you mark your canvas for notes, use a Micron waterproof pen. The finishing sites below have charts online.
Camera Straps
My dream is to someday make myself a camera strap! I think it would be such a fun way to take my travels with me in both the stitching experience and the wearability once finished. I need to do some research as to where this can be done, but I’m greatly looking forward to the possibilities.
I have two cameras so I may experiment with both 13 mesh and 18 mesh to see which is the better option. Stay tuned.
Wear Your Travels
This is one of my favorite photos from a trip to visit one of my OG lady friends @alliezigzag in Jackson. Before going for a little dip, Allie snuck in some stitches of her Teton inspired Adventure Belt.
This belt is available through any Local Needlepoint Shop!
Thread Pairings
Ideal threads are wool, DMC pearl cotton, Pepper Pot Silks or Vineyard Silk. You can absolutely use ply-able blends and threads. Canvases are usually on 18 mesh.
You will need at least two skeins for your background color.
If you have a lot of small detail, but not enough to splurge on a full skein, consider the good stuff for the background and big features and DMC for the little details.
Breaking The Break Up Belt Curse
You may have heard of the curse of the infamous “break up belt.” If not, this refers to a running joke that the needlepoint belt takes longer to stitch and finish than the relationship and therefore recipient is worth. Even I have fallen victim to this curse. A quarter-stitched belt with elephants I bought in Naples, FL six years ago for an ex is admittedly crumpled in a bin somewhere in Vermont. It just feels weird to keep it. I may donate it someday as it is such a beautiful piece.
When making this belt above for Mr. Oceans, I made the decision to go ahead and made him one. When the topic came up, I was like, “honey, you know these take a reeeeeaaaaaaaally long time right?” He laughed and insisted I stitch it. So I stitched it realllll quick and even a couple of friends pitched in to help me finish in time for the Christmas deadline.
When you know you know and tuns out we’re getting hitched after all! Ethan will tell you that the belt is one of his most meaningful possessions alongside paintings painted by his grandfather and a few works by other artistic family members.
Pro tip: speed stitch it and finish it as quickly as possible