By George! Embellished Waist Belt

Paired with a plain dress, skirt ensemble, cardigan, blazer or sweater, a beaded waist belt transforms a look from "simple" to "sizzling." You can buy one or create your own one-of-a-kind belt with materials from your local fabric store for as little as $15 (materials for the one shown here cost $25).

Time: 20 minutes with a sewing machine, about 45 minutes by hand.

• NYLON STRAP - The one I used is 2" wide, but any width from 1.5 to 3 inches is fine. This should cost under $5. To find the amount you need, measure your true waist (the smallest point just below your rib cage) and add 6".

• BEADED TRIM - The trim I'm using is about 1.5" wide and is anchored to netting, but any type of beaded trim will work. This one cost about $15 dollars for 24" which is not super expensive but is not super cheap either. You will need the same length as your true waist measurement.

• METAL SEW-ON SNAPS about ¾" - The heavy-duty kind are best since you don't want your chic beaded belt to pop when you sit down!

• STRAIGHT PINS - The long ones with the balls on the end are easiest to work with.

• THREAD - Color should match the trim.

• NEEDLE

• SEWING MACHINE WITH ZIPPER FOOT- Optional since this project can also be sewn by hand.

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1:
Make sure the ends of your trim are not unraveling. If they are, secure them with a needle and thread, and resist the temptation to pull on any loose or hanging threads as that will cause your trim to unravel further and lose beads.

Finish the edges of the beaded trim to prevent unraveling

STEP 2:
Finish off both ends of your nylon strap with a ½" hem. Fold over about ½" towards the back of the strap and sew the edge down using either the sewing machine or by hand with a needle and thread. If both sides of the strap look the same then chose a side for the front/back.

Pin the beaded trim to the belt strap in preparation for sewing

STEP 3:
Position your strip of beaded trim at one end of the nylon strap and secure it with the straight pins. Make sure the hem stitching is on the back of the strap. Your trim should be about 3-4" shorter than your strap.

Sew the trim to the strap

STEP 4:
By hand or machine, sew all the edges of the trim to the strap. I used a zipper foot on my sewing machine in order to sew right next to the edge of beading. I will be trimming the excess netting on the sides leaving about ¼" of raw edge for a "deconstructed" look. For a more "finished" look, I'd trim the netting all the way to the edge of the beading (but outside the seam that fastens the beading to the strap).

Trim the netting; for a more tailored look, trim right up to the beading

STEP 5:
Position the "female" half of the snaps on the back end of the strap where there is beading and sew each of the two snaps in place about 1" and 3" in from the end respectively. Position the "male" halves of the snaps on the front side of the strap end without trim and also sew these so they line up exactly with the "female" halves.

Attach the fasteners - note placement

A FEW TIPS: You can skip STEP 5 by using wide, heavy ribbon instead of the nylon strap and tying the ribbon in a bow in back. For this look, you'll need at least 24" inches more than your true waist measurement, so that you can make a nice bow! Skip STEP 2 if you want a "deconstructed" look.

Et Voila! Special, yours, and yours alone

Who's George? Find out here!

Though it has broken free from its chains as well as some conventional notions of what jewelry is, the stunning strand we're making here won't escape from your neck (or wrist, or waist or ankle) and go on a rampage through your city, ripping up office buildings and tossing cars like so much confetti. It will however, give your favorite outfit a superhero-sized injection of chic.

Total cost for the project pictured here is about $20, but depending on the stones you select, you can do this for as little as $5 or as much as your budget will stand.

TIME:
Approximately 10 minutes with a sewing machine and 20-25 minutes if sewn by hand.

INGREDIENTS:

• SHEER CHIFFON RIBBON - Select the sheerest ribbon you can find. Ribbon width should be slightly more than double the size of the bead or "filling" you're using. For this project, I've chosen a 3" wide ribbon. The amount of ribbon and filling you'll need will depend on how long you want your necklace (or bracelet, etc.) to be. Make it least two times as long as you want your finished strand to measure. Definitely err on the side of too much here, since there are a lot of variables to consider including how snug, how often and how tight you want to make the knots between beads. To give you an example, we've bought 2' of ribbon to make the necklace pictured.

• THE "FILLING" - Here's the great part; you can pretty much use anything that's shiny or sparkly! Semi-precious stones, big pearls (fake or real!), ping-pong balls (yes, you read that right) large crystals, big glass pebbles, beautiful marbles, etc. You can purchase your filling at a bead or craft shop or the hardware store, or root around in your own keepsake box for small objects that you've kept over the years that you don't know what to do with, but can't bring yourself to throw away. One warning: When it comes to filling, anything with a sharp edge is best avoided as it could cut your chiffon ribbon casing and destroy your necklace when you least expect it.

• STRAIGHT PINS - The long ones with the balls on the end are easiest to work with.

• THREAD - Color should match the ribbon.

• NEEDLE

• SEWING MACHINE - Optional since this project can also be sewn by hand.

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1:
You need make the ribbon into a tube. Fold the ribbon in half width-wise and secure with straight pins. Make a 1/8 inch hem if you're using a sewing machine or just simply sew the sides together if you're sewing by hand.

STEP 2:
Once you're finished "hemming" your ribbon, turn the chiffon tube you've created inside out so the hem is on the inside. For a more informal, avant-garde look, leave it as is with the hem on the outside.

STEP 3:
You now have a chiffon casing; tie a tight knot equidistant from both ends.

STEP 4:
Drop one piece of "filling" into the casing and knot it securely right after the piece of filling. Repeat this step on both sides of your middle knot until you have 12" of empty casing left on each end.

STEP 5:
6" from your last "filling knot" make another knot on each side of your casing; outside of this knot is the part of the casing you will tie your necklace on with.

A FEW TIPS:Make sure your filling color contrasts with your casing color. Here we've used white stones inside a black casing. The best thing about this project; chiffon makes just about anything look elegant; meaning this project works with ping pong balls (as long as they have no markings) or glass marbles as well as with cultured pearls or Swarovski crystals. Once you've grasped the basic principles for this necklace, you can adjust lengths, fillings, fabrics, stitching to create bracelets, anklets, belts, doubled necklaces, chokers, whatever moves you.

Personal, elegant, unusual; the essence of chic.