Simple Belt (Variation 1)

There are a nearly infinite number of possible variations on the basic design of the chainmaille belt. I will outline here the construction of the basic pieces in this example of a fairly simple, yet elegant design.

There are three basic elements of a chain belt; the main strip, the triangle dags, and the hanging loops. To build the main belt simply connect a number of rows (in this example there are seven) in a chain long enough to go around your waist, but not your hips. Try to make the number of rings in each row divisible by either 3, 4, or 5 (in this case, we use four). The dags are simply triangular expansions on the bottom edge of the main strip. The hanging loops can be nearly anything. I like to use chains of semiprecious beads. I connect every other dag with relatively short chains of gold tone chain with dark coloured fossil stone beads (chains shown as dark shaded lines). Outside the shorter chains I connect long chains of silver with light or translucent beads from every fourth dag (chains shown as gray lines).

The ends of the belt should be fastened with a relatively sturdy jewelry finding clasp which can be found at most craft or fabric stores. If you make the belt out of steel the clasp will need to be stronger than if you make it out of aluminum. Also, by making the hanging chains detachable, you can make the belt completely modular. You can, for example, have the chains on the edge extend past the clasp once the belt is fastened to give it a continuous look.

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