Belt flags, or belt favors, are fabric accessories commonly worn in LARPs to designate membership of a particular faction. I recently tried my hand at making my own and wanted to share the process.

The final product will be a belt flag that is approximately 11 inches long and 5.5 inches wide. The belt loop will be approximately 3 inches wide.

Supplies:

  • Sewing machine
  • Fabric (I used this canvas fabric from JOANN, in the color “natural”)
    • I suggest using something like canvas, which has some weight to it. That will ensure that the piece won’t be as likely to move and the symbol will be more visible.
    • The fabric I purchased was 58 in wide. One yard is enough to make about 12 belt flags.
  • Thread
  • Pins
  • Rotary cutter
  • Cutting mat
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Chopstick (or other thin tool used to poke out the corners)

Part 1: Sewing the Belt Flag

1 – Cut your fabric into strips that are 6 in wide by 58 in long.

2 – Cut your fabric into rectangles that are 6 in wide by 15.5 in long.

3 – Take one of the rectangles and fold over the edge that is 6 in long. Sew ¼ in seam with a stitch length of 3 in. Repeat the process with a second rectangle.

4 – Place one of the rectangles on top of the other, with the seams on the same edge. Have the seams face outward. (This will eventually be the bottom/interior of the belt flag)

5 – Sew three lines with a ¼ in seam. Leave the end with the newly added seams open.

6 – Cut a small piece off of all four corners. Don’t cut the lines you just sewed.

7 – Turn the entire piece inside out. Use a small thin tool like a chopstick to poke out the corners.

8 – Flip over the open edge of the rectangle. It should measure about 3 in long so the entire piece is approximately 11 inches long.

9 – Sew a rectangle with a ¼ in seam. Leave the loop open so a belt can go through it. Be careful when going over the thicker areas of the piece where multiple layers of fabric are on top of one another.

And there you have it!

Part 2: Decorating the Belt Flag – Using a Stamp

There are all kinds of ways you can decorate your belt flag. You can use a stencil, embroidery, acrylic paint, fabric pens, etc.

To keep the design consistent and save time, especially if you are making a large amount of belt flags, I would suggest using a stamp for your design.

I purchased this block printing kit which has the majority of the tools required for this project.

Supplies:

  • Transfer paper (optional)
  • Block printing ink
  • Lino cutter 
  • Brayer
  • Rubber carving block – For a stamp of this size, I would suggest starting with a block at least  8 in long and then cutting down to size 
  • 2 rectangular boards- These are used to stabilize the stamp when printing
  • Rolling pin – Or any tool that can be used to evenly distribute pressure when applying the stamp
  • Ruler
  • Tape
  • Pen or pencil
  • Paper
  • Fabric markers (optional)
  • Transfer Paper

1 – Choose your design and resize to the dimensions of your belt flag. I chose an image in Canva and sized it to approximately 7 in tall and 2.3 in wide. 

2 – Cut down the rubber stamp block to fit the design. Leave enough space around the design to eventually trim down the stamp to a smaller size.

3 – Transfer your design to the rubber stamp block. You can use transfer paper and pencil or you can free hand the design with pen. Remember to flip the design horizontally since the resulting stamp image will be flipped.

4 – Use the lino cutter tool to carve out the design shape. Be careful – this tool is quite sharp.

5 – After carving the initial design, test the stamp on scrap fabric. Use the brayer to apply ink to the stamp. If there are imperfections, refine the stamp with the carving tool until you are satisfied with the result.

6 – Iron your belt flag so the fabric is flat. 

7 – To apply the stamp to your belt flag, map out where you want the stamp to be placed. I used a ruler and tape along the borders of the stamp to make sure that it was centered. 

8 – Place one of the boards beneath the belt flag. This will help keep the fabric steady.

9 – Use the brayer to apply ink to the stamp. Carefully place the stamp on the fabric, using the lines of tape to keep the placement consistent.

10 – Place one of the rectangular boards on top. Now the stamp will be sandwiched between both boards.

11 – Use a rolling pin or other tool to apply even pressure to the top board. Be careful so the stamp does not shift in place.

12 – Carefully remove the top board and the stamp from the fabric. If the ink has not been applied evenly, use a fabric pen in the same color to fill in any gaps.

13 – Let dry for at least 24 hours.