A needlepoint belt is a very fashionable accessory for men and also for women. You can make one yourself! The belt is made of needlepoint stitches on canvas, and then finished with a buckle and with leather on the ends. You can buy one, but you can make your own exactly the way you want it. You’ll see men and women wearing stylish, unique needlepoint belts at cocktail parties, at the office, on the golf course or anywhere they want to set themselves apart from those wearing run-of-the-mill belts. Haven’t you noticed when a man wears a preppy needlepoint belt? These belts are cool, aren’t they? Make a statement about your interests, college, or hobbies. There are a variety of themes to choose from:

collegiate sports • flags • dogs • birds • fish

golf • nautical • beach • hunting • hobbies

Or you can use any design you like, such as a plaid, beer, martini glasses, shamrocks, and even mermaids! Many women and men needlepoint belts for their special someones. These unique accessories add character to slacks or shorts and are really a labor of love. A needlepoint belt is quite upscale and can be very expensive if purchased in a store. So if someone makes one for you, consider it to be very special indeed.

“The Needlepoint Belt Series” book

Probably the best book of needlepoint belt designs is The Needlepoint Belt Series by Ann Cady Scott. This book has over 900 charted designs for use on needlepoint, especially belts, in a convenient three-ring binder with full color cover. Each stitch is clearly diagrammed and explained, along with extra tips to make your stitching look better. It may seem pricey but you only have to buy it once and you’ll have nearly a thousand patterns!

Preppy Men’s Accessories (video) Here’s what these needlepoint belts look like.

How To Make A Needlepoint Belt

Briefly, these are the steps for making a needlepoint belt. 1. Determine the belt size by adding 2″ to the wearer’s pant size. Another method is to measure a belt that fits, from the outer edge of the buckle to the hole most worn, and subtract 4″ to determine how much of the canvas you will be stitching the design on. (The remaining canvas will be covered by leather at each end.) 2. Choose a design for your belt. You can use a ready-made design that has been painted on a needlepoint belt canvas. Or you can use a design from a book or design your own on graph paper. In either case, you will need to buy canvas and cut it to the proper length and width. 3. Cover the edges of your needlepoint canvas. You can hem the edges with a sewing machine or wrap the edges with masking tape. 4. Center your needlepoint design on the canvas & begin working your needlepoint stitches with wool yarn or cotton embroidery floss, using a single strand of the ply. 5. After you’ve completed your stitching, you must turn it under or use a binding stitch on the edge. Neatly secure the ends. 6 Wash and block the belt. Make sure when you block it that you have it pinned accurately to the correct size it is to be. Let the belt dry completely. 7. To complete your needlepoint belt, use a professional finishing service to apply a leather backing, leather ends and a buckle. The standard finishing charge is $100. Or you can finish the belt yourself with cotton belt webbing or suede and a buckle.

illustration Wikimedia Commons

How To Hold A Needlepoint Belt Canvas (video) This is a great tip!

Complete A Needlepoint Belt (video) A carefully explained finishing stitch.

Needlepoint is a fun hobby and once you have the basics, you can do so much!

How do you needlepoint?

1. Secure the edges of your canvas with masking tape.

2. If your canvas is large, put it on a frame to keep it taut and straight.

3. Sort your yarn by colors.

4. Cut your first piece of yarn about 12”-18” so that it is easy to work with.

5. Using a Continental Stitch, go from top to bottom at 45 degrees. (Watch the videos below for clear instructions.)

6. When you get to the end of the line, simply turn your canvas around, and repeat the stitching process.

7. Anchor the end of your thread by threading it through the last few stitches and trim the end with scissors.

How To Needlepoint (video)

How To Do The Continental Stitch A Simple Stitch

The continental stitch is similar to the half cross stitch and the tent stitch. It is simply a small stitch made between one canvas hole and the hole diagonally adjacent. All rows are worked horizontally or vertically across the canvas in the same direction. If you turn your work around to work back across a row, make sure your stitches all still lie in the same direction. On the back or “wrong” side of the canvas you will see a stitch appear diagonally across two threads. This method uses more yarn than the half cross stitch or the tent stitch but is more creates a thick padded back. Thread your needle and make a knot at the end of your yarn. Starting a few canvas holes ahead of where your first stitch will be, take the needle down through the canvas to the wrong side. Bring the needle back up where your first stitch will begin and start stitching toward the knot. When you reach the knot, cut it off. Continue with the needle, always stitching in the same direction, That’s how simple the continental stitch is! When you finish a length of yarn, push the needle through two or three stitches on the back of the canvas and trim the yarn.

 

 

Continental Stitch Demonstrated (video)

 

 

Here are some helpful books available on Amazon.com.

 

”101 Needlepoint Stitches and How to Use Them: Fully Illustrated with Photographs and Diagrams” book

Includes an easy-to-read chart and an actual-size photograph for each.

 

”The Stitch Starts Here” Kindle Edition

Prefer stitching instructions on your Kindle? Each stitch is clearly diagrammed and explained, with tips to make your stitching look better.

 

  Ready-Made Needlepoint Belts – 30 Gorgeous Designs

 

Smathers & Branson Men’s Needlepoint Belts

If, after looking over the instructions for making your own needlepoint belt, you decide you would rather buy one already made, Smathers & Branson offers 100% hand-stitched needlepoint belts in 30 designs: golf, hunting, fishing, dogs, stripes, plaid, nautical, bow ties, and USA.