Braided Belt

Double Wrap Braided Belt

I was inspired by this belt I saw on Martha Stewart.

I wanted a belt that I could wear with long shirts....Martha called for leather cording.  I chose to use leather lacing, for the color, pricing, and availability at my local Michaels.

I gathered the supplies, shown in the top left.  The gold buckle was originally a clip-on earring I bought at a thrift store.  I pulled the back off with a pair of pliers, then glued the ring (left over from another belt I had taken apart) to the back. I cut 3 pieces of leather lacing about 7 yards long (I could have gotten by easy with 6 yards).  I folded the lacing in half and knotted them together, leaving a loop big enough for my buckle button.  I now had 6 pieces of lacing, I grouped them in pairs.  I braided in the traditional format, keeping my laces flat and neat.  When I got to the end, I knotted them again, fed my button buckle through, and knotted again.  I left about a 6 inch tail.

Lori