by Dilys Tong
Sew Be It Studio

With a twist of lemon, you can add loads of sunshine and summer into your cocktail. You can do the same for your wardrobe! Forget the traditional belt buckle; turn up the fun a notch with your accessory. This project is super easy. You don’t have to be a sewing guru to make this belt. 

Materials:

  • Any yellow scrap fabric will do. Consider using fabrics that have a medium weight and tightly woven. I highly recommend using a light weight vinyl.
  • Scrap of green fabric for the leaves
  • Scrap of felt – any craft felt will do
  • 1 yard of 2” wide elastic, in colour of your choice
  • Hook and bar for closure
  • Any beads of your choice
  • Thread and sewing needles

Pattern:

You can use my lemon template or you can certainly draw your own shape.

Cutting:  

*Trace out the shape of the lemon on to the rough side of the fabric, then add ¼” seam allowance all around.* Only do this for the lemon body (Diagram 1)!

  • Cut 1 lemon body in the yellow fabric
  • Cut 1 lemon body in the felt
  • Cut 1 in green for the lemon leaf (no felt needed for the leaf)

Construction: 

Step 1: Sew the lemon body together,

  • With the right sides facing together, stitch the yellow side and the felt side together.
  • Stitch on your traced line. DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE AN OPENING.

Step 2: Clip the seam allowance along the curve edge and all corners (Diagram 2). 

Step 3: Turn inside out. Press (Diagram 3) and (Diagram 4). 

Step 4: Close up the opening with hand stitching (Diagram 5). 

Step 5: Beads!!!- You have complete creative control in this step. Sass up your lemon with some bling. Just remember, less is often more (Diagram 6).

Step 6: Hand stitch the leaves to the lemon body (Diagram 7). 

Step 7: Mark the elastic to your waist measurement minus 1”. For example, if your waist measurement is 29”, mark the elastic at 28”. BEFORE YOU CUT THE ELASTIC, MAKE SURE YOU ADD 1” EXTRA ON EACH END OF THE ELASTIC FOR FINISHING.
*Beware of the muffin top look! Caused by the elastic being too tight.* 

Step 8: Hand stitch the hook to one end of the elastic and the bar to the other end (Diagram 8). 

Step 9: Hand stitch the lemon to the elastic.  

Now that you are done, you can sit on the patio with your new belt and enjoy your lemon martini! 

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www.sewbeitstudio.com