HANDSTITCHED BELT LOOPS
I just spent some time this morning stitching belt loops to my new dress and just thought I'd quickly share the technique here. It's a nice way to be able to adapt an item of clothing and make it suitable for wearing with belts. Belts are a fun way to dress up an outfit or to create different looks. And these belt loops are very subtle, so you can still wear the dress without a belt too!
Step 1
Thread a double strand of cotton onto a needle and knot and the end. You will need more thread than you think, so cut a generous length at this point.
Step 2
Mark where you want the belt loops to begin and end, above and below the side seam, with two pins.
Step 3
On the underside of the top marking, take two small backstitches, then pass the needle through to the front of the garment.
Step 4
Bring the needle down to the bottom marking, allowing for some extra slack so that the belt loop isn't tight against the fabric. Sew a few of these loops (I did it four times) and each time allow the same amount of slack.
Step 5
Blanket stitch over the loop you created, pulling the stitches tight against each other. This is why you needed to cut a long length of thread in step 1.
Step 6
To finish, secure the thread with two backstitches on the wrong side.
