Braided Belt: The Next Generation

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Kenneth King, contributor

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I do a lot of cruising in thrift stores and flea markets, to find inspiration for myself. Unlikely items seem to catch my attention, and this belt is one of those.

I found this leather belt recently, and wanted to figure out how it went together.

It looks more complex than it is. The double rows of leather criss-crossing the single rows of leather in the center of the belt, make it look more difficult than it is.

I’m going to use four different colors of cord for this demonstration. The blue and orange cords will be the foundation that the knotting attaches to. When deciding how long these are, you have a 1:1 ratio—these will be the finished length. (Add a few inches for finishing.)

I’ve sewn these to two other cords—the turquoise (I will refer to it as the left cord), and green (which I will refer to as the right cord), which will be the cords that do all the work. When determining the length of these cords, it’s a 5:1 ratio—you will need to cut these five times the finished length, to have enough.

After sewing these all together, attach the blue and orange cords by pinning down both ends to a corkboard or other device. You want to hold them straight, with some tension, to make your work easier.

Begin with the left cord. Pass it under the blue cord, then over the blue cord, then back under itself.

Take the right cord; pass it first through the loop formed by the left cord, then under the orange cord, then up over itself.

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Comments (11)

tissy writes: Who cares if it's a macrame technique?!?!?! Somebody else figured it out and shared it! Now we can have a $75 belt for maybe $10! Looks like fun! This looks good for basket handles, tote handles, purse accents, jacket accents - what else can you think of?

Posted: 3:07 pm on July 28th

Ocrafty1 writes: Sew4Drama....those books ARE in my closet. I just pulled my vintage leather belt out of a box...it looks just like the one in the pic. I'll be in style again!

Posted: 8:57 pm on July 21st

Sewista writes: Brilliant! Now where did my macrame book go?
Posted: 6:34 pm on July 20th

GreenTrunkDesigns writes: I love this belt! I love the art of knotting. I do wish Macramé would make a come back.
Posted: 4:45 pm on July 20th

jofre146 writes: This is such a fun technique. I bet you could use other types of cording or leather strips or even rattail to achieve different looks.
Posted: 2:15 pm on July 20th

ipodgrannie writes: Looks great to me but will leave it to people that love that sort of thing, too complicated for me.
Posted: 10:36 pm on July 19th

Clarasita writes: Looks like interlocking clove hitches over 2 holding cords to me. You may want to check out wire weaving techniques for other patterns.
Posted: 10:12 pm on July 19th

cloudyhn writes: I had "The basic book of Macrame & Tatting" published 1973 and printed in Hongkong, during one trips to St.Jacob, a small town name Elora. The book was sold .50cents. Great book but I've never spent enough time to finish one good project.
Posted: 9:01 pm on July 19th

OmaAnnie writes: Hey Sew4Drama ! I know were those books and patterns are! Probably in my closet! (LOL!)
Posted: 8:45 pm on July 19th

Sew4Drama writes: Kenneth is such an inspiration! Reminds me of my days in the 60's and 70's of doing macrame belts - wonder what ever happened to those books and patterns?!? Can't wait to try this!
Posted: 7:14 pm on July 19th

cloudyhn writes: Great technique. I bought a lot of leather cords offwhite, black, red, tan and grey to decorate my boots. Great idea for a braided belt.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted: 2:42 pm on July 19th

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