How to make a needlepoint belt

Size

• Width. Most belt canvases are 1 1/4 inches (3.2 cm) wide, which is 22 stitches on 18 mesh. Makers differ a little: one stitches 20 rows (1 1/8 inches, 2.9 cm) as its standard and another asks for 24.
• Edges. Finishers also differ in how they want the long edges. Most ask for two extra rows of stitching along the top and the bottom, which they fold under. Some ask for one or three, and some take a binding stitch instead. Ask before you start, because it changes your count.
• Belt size. Finishers work from belt size, not pant size. Belt size is measured on a belt that fits, from the buckle to the hole you use most; your finisher will say exactly where on the buckle to start. It usually comes out 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) more than the pant size.
• Length to stitch. The needlepoint is shorter than the belt size, because leather at each end carries the buckle and the holes. How much shorter depends on the finisher. Published instructions run from 4 inches (10 cm) less than belt size to 6 inches (15 cm) less. Get the exact figure from whoever will finish the belt before you stitch the ends. The belt size calculator turns a measurement into inches and stitches; treat its answer as a starting point and your finisher's figure as final.

Canvas and thread

• A strip of 18 mesh canvas about 5 inches (13 cm) wide, which leaves bare canvas above and below the stitching, and long enough to leave bare canvas at both ends for the frame. Some shops sell canvas pre-cut and marked for belts.
• A cotton thread made for fine canvas: pearl cotton size 5 or six-strand cotton floss. Published charts for floss on 18 mesh run from 4 strands to 6: two shops' charts say 4, and one belt maker's chart uses all six. Stitch a small patch first to check that your thread covers.
• A scroll frame. It helps keep the strip square, and you roll the canvas along as you go.

Design

A belt design is either a repeat (stripes, a key pattern, a row of motifs) or a sequence of pictures. Either way:

• Start at the center of the canvas and work toward both ends. The design stays centered on the strip, and any change in length comes out of the plain ends.
• Leave the last inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm) at each end as plain background until the length is confirmed.
• Keep initials, dates and anything else you want seen away from the ends. Leather covers the first and last inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm) of the stitching.
• Remember the belt is seen from a distance. Simple shapes and strong contrast read best.

Our belt patterns, such as the anchor belt and the regimental stripe belt, are charted 22 stitches tall. Each chart shows about 10 inches (25 cm) of a pattern that repeats, so it carries on to any length.

Stitching

Use basketweave wherever you can. It is the most hard-wearing form of tent stitch and the one most likely to keep the canvas square. Use continental for single lines and small areas where basketweave will not fit.

Finishing

Mounting a belt on leather with a buckle is specialist work. Needlepoint shops and belt makers take belts in for finishing. The finisher mounts the strip on a leather backing and adds the leather ends and buckle, and you usually choose the leather color and the buckle metal. Published turnaround times run from about six weeks to four months or more, and longer before Christmas, so ask early.