How to Sew Belt Loops – Easily & Quickly

Learn how to sew belt loops! Sewing belt loops and learning how to make a belt loop are essential parts of any article of clothing needing a belt. Decorative or functional, a belt will not stay on the band or waistline without some loops to hold it in place. A simple coat may only need loops at the side as the belt is tied at the front. In contrast, a pair of long pants or denim jeans need loops at the side, back, and front. 

How to Sew Belt Loops Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to make a belt loop suitable for pants, dresses, and skirts. Belt loops can be added after the garment is finished and can be matched or contrast in color or fabric.

The easiest way to sew a belt loop is to make a long strip of double stitched fabric and then cut it into separate pieces. This makes it less fiddly and your stitching neater. The smaller pieces are then stitched on to the garment.

Jeans and pants will usually have 5 belt loops, while dresses and coats have 2.

Supplies for Sewing Belt Loops

Here is what you need to sew belt loops.

• Fabric
• Sewing Basics – Sewing machine, pins, ruler, scissors, fabric marker.
• Sewing Machine Needle – Since you will be sewing through numerous layers, you may need a thicker needle, such as a topstitch or denim needle. Needles will be size 90/14 or 100/16 and up.
• Edge Presser Foot – This is optional, but the guided edge will help you sew straight.
• Thread – Thicker threads, such as topstitching threads, can look particularly nice for jeans.

How to Sew Belt Loops, Step by Step Instructions

Here is the step-by-step guide to making your own belt loops:

Step 1 – Cutting DIY Belt Loops

Before you start, you will need to determine how wide your belt is and the length of your belt loop in order for it to slide in easily. Allow some ease and take into consideration the thickness of the belt. You will need to add 1/8 inch to 1/ inch for the belt to not be too tight.

Using your pre-determined measurements, cut a rectangle of fabric to make one long strip that will be cut into equal loops when completed. 

• Length – Measure the finished length you require for the belt loops and add 1 inch (2.5cm) to each loop for folding. Then multiply that by the number of loops you require.
• Width – The width of this strip will depend on the desired width of each loop. Belt loops are commonly 1/4-1/2 inch wide. A medium-weight fabric will use four times the width of the finished loop. FORMULA = (finished width) x 4

EXAMPLE – To make 4 belt loops with a finished size of 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long, cut a rectangle of fabric that is 2 inches by 12 inches

Step 2 – How to Make Belt Loops

Fold the strip of fabric in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together and press. Open up the fabric and press the raw edges towards the middle crease.

Fold in half again lengthwise and press. Stitch down each side of the strip to secure the loops. Use a small stitch length.

In order to get accurate stitching you can use a edge stitch foot with a guide and move the needle to the left. Using a twin needle or a cover stitch machine is also commonly used.

Measure and cut the long loop into the number of smaller loops you required. For our example, you will cut every 3 inches. Fold the ends over by 1/2 inch (12mm)

Step 3 – How to Attach the Belt Loops

Pin your belt loops on your garment and stitch across the top and bottom securely. For fine or medium-weight fabrics, use a straight stitch. For heavy fabrics like denim, use a narrow zig-zag stitch for extra strength.

Just test your first belt loop to make sure the belt will slide through comfortably. You want to test after the first loop and not the last one!

How to Sew a Belt Loop in Different Types

In the above instructions, you have made a simple, straightforward belt loop out of medium-weight fabric. Here are some tips and ideas on how to make belt loops out of different weighted fabrics or different materials. 

1. Belt Loops for Thick Fabrics

Thicker fabrics like denim will not fold up multiple times. 

1. Adjust the width of the fabric rectangle to only fold once to the middle of each side, do not fold twice. This means the cutting width will just be double the finished width.  
2. Serge or zigzag the raw edges. 
3. Cut some double-sided fusible tape the width of the finished loop width. Place the fusible tape firmly down the middle of the loop strip. 
4. Fold the edges to the middle and press to fuse the loop together. 
5. Stitch on either side, and there is your loop of thicker fabric. The neatened edges will be in the middle of the loop and not visible from the outside.

2. Thread Belt Loops with Zig-Zag

It is possible to make thread belt loops either by hand or with your machine using a zig-zag stitch over the threads. Here is how you make quick and easy thread belt loops.

1. Choose a neutral or matching thread colour. Wrap the thread around a book four times.
2. Take the threads off the book and straighten them out making eight threads altogether.  
3. Tie the loose thread ends together in a knot.
4. Set your machine on a zigzag stitch. A number 4 is a good medium width. 
5. Put the threads under the presser foot and hold the loops at the front and the back.
6. Zig zag over the threads and hold them taught. 
7. Pull through slowly from the back as you zig zag over the threads.
8. Use a large eye needle to thread the loop you have made into the waistband.
9. Stitch over the threads to secure them into the waist seam. If you attach the loop as you are putting the garment together then you can successfully add the loop into the seam.

3. How to Sew Belt Loops in Other Styles

1. CROCHET – A crochet chain stitch serves as an easy option for a belt loop. The thread chosen should either be crochet cotton or a number of cotton threads used together.
2. SCRAPS – Pieces of leather, lace, wool, or yarn threads make interesting belt loops.

How to Sew Belt Loops – In Conclusion

Belt loops are a vital part of clothing, and wearing a belt is part of the style.  When the belt is a feature of the garment, learning how to sew belt loops will give you the finishing touch you need. Read more about how to make distressed jeans with your new belt loops.