homevolution: Cinch up that trench: DIY ribbon belt

I have a basic black trench coat that's great for not-too-cold rainy weather, but sadly, I lost the belt for it a while back when it slipped off unnoticed on the metro one day. Without the belt, it just looks like a shapeless black sack, so I've been avoiding wearing it other than going in & out of the office or walking around the neighborhood. I wore it a could days ago when we were still getting the tail end of the Sandy rain, and had an impromptu thought that maybe I could make a belt out of something in the hall closet (aka the 'closet of doom' where we stash basically everything - open at your own risk!). I had some black ribbon with white trim and thought that maybe the ribbon could work as a belt. I think it turned out pretty well for a quick & cheap replacement belt. Although mine is just black, this could also be a good way to add a splash of color to a jacket too! (The knot is kind of funky in this pic - take a look at the ones below for a better idea).

Materials:

Ribbon (I used about 6 yards of 5/8" ribbon)
Sewing machine & thread
Scissors

All I did was measure a piece of ribbon around myself to see how long I wanted it, then I sewed three strips of ribbon together since my ribbon was narrow. After the three ribbons were together, I double folded the ends so the cut edge was hidden and sewed them.

The end result sort of reminds me of a floppy seatbelt (but in a good way... if that's possible...). The thickness of the ribbon seems good for a jacket belt - it's thick enough to give it some durability and is easy to tie and untie. It's nothing fancy, but I think it works as well as the original.