The final touch on the River dress, view B – the belt and belt loops! It’s nice to be able to cinch in this version since the woven fabrics tend to be lighter and thinner than the thicker heavy weight knits of view A.
The pattern includes instructions for two belt loops, but you could always add more if you like.
And though we will be talking about adding a belt and belt loops to the woven dress (View B) there is honestly nothing stopping you from adding a belt to a knit dress, or even to woven or knit tops! Some of our testers added belts to their tops and they turned out so cute!!
Okay, let’s go…
BELT LOOPS
Fold your two belt loop pieces in half, with right sides together. Sew 1/4” from the raw edge.
Trim back the seam allowance.
Using a safety pin or loop turner, turn the belt loops right side out.
Press flat, and then cut your two pieces into four 2.5” pieces. Pick the best two to use on your dress (if you decide you want more than two belt loops, well then now you have extras!)
On the two belt loops that you choose, fold in each end by 1/4” and press.
Position the two belt loops on the dress at the notches on the side seams. They are placed with the bottom of the belt loops about 3/4” from the top of the pocket opening.
Stitch in place along the top and bottom edges, close to the edge.
BELT
Start by placing the two belt pieces right side together, and sew along one short side, 5/8” from the raw edge.
Press the seam open.
Now fold the long belt piece in half lengthwise with right sides together. Line up the raw edges and pin in place.
Sew 5/8” from the edge around both the short ends and long edge, pivoting at the corners. Leave a gap opening of about 3” somewhere along the long edge.
Trim the corners and seam allowance on the short ends.
Now turn the belt the right way around by pushing it through the 3” opening that you left. Make sure to get the corners nice and squared.
Press the belt nice and flat, and close up the gap with topstitching (like I show here), or an invisible hand stitch.
LOOKING FOR MORE RIVER POSTS?
Here’s the full list of River posts and tutorials:
- Inspiration and ideas
- Pattern Tester roundup
- Staystitching and Pockets
- Flat raglan sleeve insertion and side seams
- How to insert raglan sleeves in the round
- Neckband View A & C
- Bias-bound neckline View B & D
- Hemming
- Belt and belt loops (this post!)
- Variation: ruffle raglan sleeve detail
- Variation: patch pockets and contrasting fabrics (View A)
We absolutely love seeing what you make, so don’t forget to tag your creations with #MNriver and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing on social media, and check out what everyone else is up to!
DON’T HAVE THE PATTERN YET?
