Sunday 1 June 2014

Vintage Measuring Tape Belt

vintage measuring tape belt

Though I’ve been massively sidetracked by Doing A Thing, today I sat down and made this belt from a vintage measuring tape.

This is a project that’s been in my To Do pile for a long time, which is ridiculous considering how easy it was.

Read on for a how to. This project is simple and doesn’t take all that long: fifteen minutes at the most.


measuring tape belt DIY

You’ll need:
Old measuring tape
Buckle to fit belt*
Eyelets and eyelet setting kit
Scissors
Strong glue (I used E6000)
Hole punch tool/something suitable for making holes (your eyelet setting kit might come with something like this!)

*The buckle I used was off an old top, so was slightly small for the tape. As it was already in my stash, I decided it would do!


measuring tape belt tutorial

1. Cut the tape to the side of your waist plus 10-12 inches. Alternatively measure against a belt you already have, remembering to add 1.5 inches for attaching the buckle.


how to make a belt from a measuring tape

2. Make an oval hole 1.5 inches from the raw end of the tape. Thread the tape onto the buckle, making sure the prong fits the hole you cut, and that the raw end folds over to the back of the buckle. Use an eyelet to hold the front and folded-over parts of the tape together.


measuring tape belt howto

3. Add eyelets to the finished end of the belt, about 1 inch apart.


vintage tape belt tutorial

4. To add loops, cut pieces from the leftover bit of tape to wrap around the belt. Secure the ends together with strong glue and thread onto the belt once the glue has dried.


easy measuring tape belt DIY

I haven’t worn my belt yet as I only made it today, but here it is modelled in a slouchy way by my mannequin, which I finally re-covered! (Here is the 'before', when she was in a sorry state!)


Sourcing items:
Occasionally I receive comments asking where I sourced various things, so here is where I obtained the items used in this tutorial:
Tape: charity shop
Eyelets: ebay
Eyelet setting kit (with hole punch tool): a present (otherwise try craft shops/ebay)
Glue: ebay
Buckle: from an old top (check out haberdashery stores otherwise, or ebay again)


May link this to various link parties. Check the link party button at the top of the page to see some of the places I like to link up :)

5 comments:

  1. I think this idea is so creative! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams , starts on Fridays :D Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think this idea is so creative! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams , starts on Fridays :D Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Super cute project! Brilliant idea! Love this! Thanks for sharing!
    Have a fabulous week!
    Hugs from Portugal,
    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a wonderful way to re-purpose a vintage tape! It came out looking gorgeous, as well ^.^

    ReplyDelete

Reading all your sweet comments makes me happy! :) I appreciate each and every one and try to reply to all that I can!

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