Belt Loop Buddies

Hi there! I’m Carolina, and I’m super excited to share this project here on the Ribbon Retreat blog today! When I first sent my son off to preschool, he had some serious separation anxiety. I sent him to school with a special blanket, but I think that these Belt Loop Buddies would have been an even better solution. Little felt softies that stay close at hand, hanging from the belt of his pants. And, they’re super fast and easy to make. My blog is 30 Minute Crafts.com, and you could absolutely whip up one of these little buddies in 30 minutes or less! I made a variety of templates so that you could make a lion, cat, elephant, frog, or parrot.

To make your belt loop buddy, you need:
Felt (assorted colors, depending on the buddy you plan to make)
Ribbon
Batting/Polyfil (only about a handful per buddy)
Scissors
Glue
Belt Loop Buddy Template
Sewing Machine threaded and ready to go

The process is pretty similar for each of the buddies, with the exception of the parrot. Make sure you read through all the instructions here so that you catch the different little pieces for the different buddies.

Start by printing out the Belt Loop Buddy Template, and cutting out the shapes you need. The template pieces tell you how many of each you’ll need.

Lay out all the pieces you’ll need to make your buddy, to make sure you have everything. You’ll need a 4″ piece of the ribbon you chose.

Fold under about 1/4″ of the ribbon and stitch it to the back of one of the body pieces to secure it.

Place the two body pieces on top of each other with the ribbon on the back, and stitch most of the way around.

Note: If you are making the frog, tuck one foot into each one of the legs before stitching.

When you get to the ribbon, move it out of the way. Stuff the body with a little batting before stitching all the way. Use a pen or scissors to tuck the batting into the legs. Do not over stuff.

Repeat the process with the head. If you are making the elephant, tuck one ear piece on either side of the head before stitching. If making the lion, stitch in loops of ribbon as you stitch together the two layers of the face. Again, stop to stuff the head lightly before closing completely.

Pin the ribbon loop to the top of the back of the body. This will get secured in the next step.

Place the head on top of the body and stitch together along the bottom head seam. If making the elephant, stitch down on either side of the trunk, leaving the bottom of the trunk free. If you have overstuffed, this step will be difficult and you may need to stitch the head on by hand.

If you are making the parrot, the process is similar. Start by stitching the loop onto the back of the parrot, and stitching three of the feathers in place on the front of the parrot.

Lay the pieces on top of each other, and insert the beak pieces and the 5 tail feather pieces.

Stitch the two layers of the parrot together, securing the tail feathers and beak pieces in place. Before you stitch the body closed, fill with stuffing.

Once you have finished stitching together the pieces of your belt loop buddy, glue in place the eye, nose, and/or snout pieces.

Once the glue has dried (overnight), let your child play with his new belt loop buddies! These are great to take with you because the loop secures them in place and keeps them from getting lost!

Thanks again to the Ribbon Retreat for inviting me to come play! I hope you’ll come visit me at 30 Minute Crafts.com for more fun and fast crafts!

Thank you Carolina and Welcome Aboard! We are so excited to have you as our newest Contributor, and we just love your 30 minute craft concept! It is so easy to get overwhelmed by crafts sometimes and the length of time they can take to complete…SO, who doesn’t love a quick and easy craft to lighten the load?!? These little Belt Loop Buddies are FABulous and so dang cute. I have a little one entering Kindergarten this year, and I was wondering to myself which one he would love the most. 🙂

Great job and again thank you so much Carolina for sharing your incredible talent to create cute and crafty things with us! Don’t forget to visit Carolina’s adorable 30 Minute Crafts.com blog for more quick, easy, AND FABulous crafts!

Don’t you just love quick crafts? Check out these other wonderful crafts that carry a big punch of cuteness….but are so easy and quick to whip together…

10 Minute Burp Cloth

How To Make A Belt

How To Make A Pacifier Clip

Clothespin Magnets

Happy Creating & Happy Quick Crafts!