I’ve been waiting for some free time to do this tutorial and I finally found some time before this afternoon’s photoshoot (will post up photos of that gown later on!).
Peplum belts are a quick way to jazz up any pencil skirt and they’re actually really easy to make. This tutorial is for you if you don’t know how to/ don’t feel like sewing. Just a little bit of glue and you’re all set!
Here goes:
Make small marks on the reverse side of your faux leather. I used a ballpoint pen to do so.
Don’t be intimidated by this! The inner circle marks should be your waist size. You can use a piece of string that’s the same length as your waist and lay it out in a circle and mark around it.
For OCD people/ math-lovers: the distance from the center point, line A, should be {your waist measurement} divided by {2π } where π is pi. iPhone users, just turn your calculator sideways to landscape and you’ll get a scientific calculator and just hit the symbol π !
For ease of reference: Waist size 24″ – line A should be about 3.8″ | Waist size 25″ – line A should be about 4″ | Waist size 26″ – line A should be about 4.1″ | Waist size 27″ – line A should be about 4.3″
For line B and C, it just depends on how long you want your peplum belt to be along the front, sides, and back. I used 6 inches for B and 8″ for C. Using the same measurements, go around the circle and make marks all round.
Join the marks. If you’re not great at freehand, make more marks!
At the front end of the peplum pattern, make an angle for the opening. I took 1.5 inches on either side. But in any case you’d have to try it on and cut more if the belt needs to be smaller.
Cut it out around the outer circle and inner circle markings. Fit around your waist. I decided I wanted it higher and tighter and ended up cutting off more from the front ends.
You’re almost there! Just use some glue meant for leather and fabric to glue some ribbon down for closure. You can use leather straps too if you prefer.
Glue a separate strip of ribbon to either side of the peplum belt. Let it dry and you’re done!
I love how the ribbon gives the leather look a bit more of a feminine feel. Hope you enjoyed this and have a great start to the week!
Hiyee…. that’s cute! where did you get the leather glue from? :-)
Hi Agy, thanks! :) I grabbed the glue on sale when I was in Japan actually. I guess strong craft glue would work here too if you have some lying around!
Thanks for the tutorial; how big a piece of leather/fabric does one need to begin with?
Hi Carol! The amount of leather you’ll need depends on your waist size and how long you want your peplum to be. I’d recommend drawing a small scale version (perhaps divide the measurements by 10) on a piece of paper to see how much you’ll need in total. Hope this helps! :)
I love this belt, and this tutorial seems easy enough that I could actually do it :) Thanks for sharing!
It was my pleasure Chelsea! Hope you have fun making yours :)
Hi Michele,
I live in Singapore just like you. Love your website and especially your belts, peplum, knotted !.. Can you let me know where you buy the leather and the ropes? thanks a million…!!!
great job – Irene.
Hi Irene, thank you! :) Glad you enjoyed the tutorials. For faux leather, you can get some at Spotlight (Plaza Sing) or on the second floor of People’s Park (Blk 32 New Market Road). The latter would be less expensive of course :) Let me know if you’d like more detailed information on the stores there!
I got the ropes in the tutorial from Japan, but you should be able to find similar ones at the ground floor shops at Textile Centre or Spotlight (they have nice satin rope!). Hope this helps!
Hi Michele,
thanks so much for the info, yes, if you could let me know which shop in People’s park, it would save me lots of time. by the way I am so sorry for this late response because I had forgotten to click the ‘notify me’ box…got notified by Keisha’s comment instead haha.
I hope you continue to be inspired and you are indeed very talented.
thank you very much
Hi Irene,
No worries! I made sure to get a namecard when I was back in the area (I tend to be bad at remembering names heh). You’ll find it at Blk 32 New Market Road, #02-1160/1098, called Brighton Accessories House.
Thank you so much for your kind words and have a great Christmas coming up! :)
Thanks very much Michele
Thank you for sharing your creation! I just googled peplum belt because I had the idea to make one and wondered if it already existed. I can’t wait to make mine!
I saw a cute outfit in the movie Grey Gardens (with Drew Barrymore) . Drew was wearing a cute black blouse with a grey pencil skirt. The blouse had a peplum waist and I thought it looked a bit like a peplum belt. I immediately wanted to make one to see how it looks. I’m so glad you shared your no-sew instructions.
I’m even more inspired to see your elegant interpretation!
Thank you so much for your kind words Gina! I’m glad you found this helpful. Hope you have a great time making your peplum belt! :)
hi,
can you make a belt for me please??? i will pay you!
Hi Kiesha, aww. I’ll be sending you an email :)
i would love to see how you did a knotted peplum belt. please and thank you :)
Hi Kimberly, I’ve emailed you to ask more about what you mean by a knotted peplum belt just to make sure I’ve got the right understanding. Let me know once you’ve received it!
This is gorgeous. It’s the nicest one I’ve seen on the web– homemade or to purchase. Thanks so much for sharing!
Aww thanks Leslie! Totally made my day! :)
Michele, this is so ingenious and chic! Thank you for taking the time to make the tutorial so easy to follow and detailed!
That being said, I can’t find a high quality faux leather in my area and yours looks so great…. Are you making these for sale?? Please say yes! Feel free to email me directly, I’d love to see if I can purchase one.
Thx!!
Hi Alex, thank you! I’ve just emailed you directly to see where you’re based and if I can whip one up for you. Holler if you don’t receive my mail! :)
Very cute project, I love the easiness of it.
Thank you Daniela :)
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Michel- I was Google image searching for a peplum belt to purchase and stumbled across yours, not having any idea it was a DIY/no sew tutorial (my FAVORITE COMBO)! I have lots of faux leather swatches, so I dropped everything to make one right away! I followed the measurements for my waist size, and it actually turned out cute, but only goes halfway around….did I do something wrong or was that the intention? I will still wear it, but I would love to make one that goes all the way around, so could you please provide a tutorial for that? I’m about 27″ waist & I’m thinking I’d like it about 3.5-4″ in front & 5″ in back (i.e., I’m not wanting a dramatic difference in length in the front and back). Thank you so much and congratulations on your baby!!
Suzanne
PS: when the glue dries on the belt I made, I’ll be happy to send you a photo if you’d like. Sometimes I enjoy making “sets” (pieces that can be worn together or separately), so with the extra faux leather I had, I meet a ring and two different styles of wrist cuffs)! :-)
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