Thursday, June 23, 2011
Mothers of Invention
Unfortunately, all my skirts are too big. It's the way it is. I guess I could take them apart and take in the waist. Or I could return them and get a smaller size. Realistically, I'm not going to do either. I bought them and I'll wear them as they are. It's how I am.
So, what do you do when your clothes generally fit fine, but are too big in the waist? You wear a belt. But, what do you do when you don't have a belt? (We won't even discuss why I don't have a belt. I just don't. I have no idea why that is and I admit it's odd.)
You make one!
I made this last night. Necessity is, indeed, the mother of invention. Thank you, Plato!
I made the belt with left-over yarn from the basket weave purse in the previous post. It's a very simple pattern. I just created half double-crochets (hdc) in every other chain. Between each hdc I chained once. This yarn is really bulky and chaining between the hdc helps the belt to lay nice & flat.
To make your own belt just chain the length you want and make sure it's an even number. Add two extra chains for the turn (these will be your first stitch.) After the turn, hdc (half double crochet) in the third chain from the end and chain one. Skip the next chain and repeat hdc, chain, skip all the way to last chain. Depending on how wide you want your belt, you can chain two and turn and then repeat the previous row until you have a wide enough belt.
I wanted a belt that was only two rows wide and I wanted it to look "finished" on both sides. If you've crocheted before, you probably know what I mean. IMHO, my work always looks better if I crochet around the unfinished edges. So, instead of turning the work and creating a second row -- I made three hdc in the last chain to create a corner. I then worked the same pattern (hdc, chain, skip) up the other side of the chain. I then crocheted 3 hdc in the last chain and joined the piece by slip stitching (sl) into the top of the chain. Done!
I was going to add buttons so I could have a very neat belt. In fact, I created a loop as a button hole by chaining 3 stitches before slip stitching to the chain. I even sewed on two buttons. The problem is, I couldn't get the belt tight enough. Instead, I ended up removing the buttons and am now pretending the button hole at one end doesn't exist. I've decided to tie the belt which helps me getting a better cinch. I think it looks cute. Nautical, even, with my denim skirt.
Okay, it's a step away from using rope as a belt. But it's a fashionable step!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment