Victorian Belt

Godey’s 1861 Fancy Belt Pattern

Hi Sis,

You gave me your old belt, the one I made you a few years back. Then, I got an idea! I was gonna have some fun!

Enter fancy belt, from Godey’s 1861.

Here is how it turned out! 

I planned to sell it, but now I’m not sure. 😂 It doesn’t look bad with my crazy bold kelly green silk dress. So, I may just keep it. 

Materials

Silk Taffeta
Interfacing
1 Inch velvet
Soutache braid 3 mm wide 
Buckle – You can find buckles from Ensembles from the Past and Button Barron

Step 1: Measure waist. Add 1 inch seam allowance, and 1 -2 inches for overlapping the back. Take this measurement and drawl it onto your silk tafffeta. If you want a two inch belt, cut it five inches wide.

Step 2: I interfaced my belt for extra stability, but this is optional.

Step 3: Sew one side of the belt (1/2 seam allowance), and down the main length. Do not sew other end. 

Step 4: Trim corners at end for a good fold/tip. 

Step 5: Invert. Iron, and use a butter knife to help give you a nice crisp edge along the seam.

Step 6: Fold in other end, and sew.

Step 7: Take one inch velvet, and sew it on 1/2 of an inch from bottom.

Step 8: Find center of belt, and put on buckle. Chalk the lines of your buckle, so that you know where to not have the braid loops getting in the way. Many period belts closed on the side.

Step 9: Mark where your braid loops will take pace, with a simple chalk line. You do not need to trace anything. Just mark the distance apart that you desire your loops, and stagger the top and bottom.

Step 10: Sew on braid.

Step 11: You can add a closure, such as a hook and eye. Or you can use a silk pin or two. I pin my belts on, and yes that is a period, and always a great fit!

Enjoy your belt!

 

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Silk Belt Pattern

Here is one of my versions of a fun bow belt. Belts and sashes such as these were pretty common in fashion plates, especially with bows. You can see them in the front, side, or even on the back of the dress. This version has rounded ends.

First, start with the belt part. Measure your waist, and add about 3 – 4 inches for overlap and seam allowance.

Then, figure out width. I wanted a 2 inch belt, so I cult mine at 5 inches wide, folded it over and sewed it with a 1/2 inch seam. 

Sew one corner and most of the side! Leave one side open so you can invert, and enough space to sew the tails into the belt. Press. Trim corners so you get a nice angle. I use a butterknife so I can get a crisp edge while pressing.

For the next part you need the tails. You will need to cut 4 of these. scanned belt tails pattern pdf

  • Do keep your height and hoop skirt size in mind. I am 5 ft 4 inches, and using a 108 inch hoop. If you are significantly taller or wearing a larger hoop, you may want to adjust the pattern to be longer and wider. I would cut out a paper version, tape it together, and drape it on your dress. See if you like the result before you make it!
  • You can always cut about 1/2 or so around the pattern if you want it just a smidge bigger.

Cut, out four of the tails, and sew with a 1/4 – 1/2 inch seam allowance. You will not be sewing all the way up the belt, as you see there is a line a few inches from the top that says, “Stop Sewing Here” that is so it is easier to invert your work. You can fold in that part later and sew it down. 

If you are adding the trim on top, you do not need to stress at all about having a perfectly rounded or straight edge. 

I made the trim by using a rotary cuter to make 1/2 inch cuts of silk. Then, I got a baby fork, and fork pleated. You can look up how to fork pleat on youtube. It is very, very simple and fast! I used the sewing machine to sew the trim right onto the tails.

I added a tack stitch in the center of the tail, to keep the tails together, so they didn’t overlap each other.

Put the tails into your belt about a half inch. Fold in the raw edge and sew your belt close.

For this type of bow I cut a 6×12 inch piece of fabric, and folded it in half so it was a square. Then, I sewed it together, but I left about 1 1/2 inches in the center un-sewn so I could invert the fabric. Trim edges to make them have a nice angle, turn in raw edge (no need to sew it now) and press.

Sew trim on top.Using your trim, pinch in the center and wrap the trim around a few times. Sew right into the center of your two tails on the belt. And it is done!

 

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Note: You may have noticed some slubs on my silk belt. Sadly, the only matching trim I could find for my dress was a shantung. In an ideal world, you should use silk taffeta for historical sewing. 

copyright2021 – this pattern is for personal use only. This pattern is not to be sold or redistributed.