Do it! Step 1

• Take the webbing and cut 20cm from it. Sew your Ladderloc buckle to this shorter piece - The webbing threads through the middle bar (look at any rucsac to see the regular way these are attached, it's easier than my trying to describe it). Use about 5 - 8cm of overlap on the webbing for the buckle fixing, and use several lines of stitching (or close zigzag stitch, if your machine can do this) to make it strong.

• Take the longer piece of webbing and (if it is made of nylon) heat-seal one end in a candle or cigarette lighter flame. Warning! Don't heat it too long or it will burn - which is not what you want - and don't touch the end for at least a minute, as melted nylon stays hot for a surprisingly long time. If you don't want highest security on the belt, drop this next step and keep the end of the belt unsewn; the turnover means that you have to consciously unthread the belt (instead of just flipping the Ladderloc) to take it off - this might be a nuisance for some people. Turn over 1cm of your heat-sealed end. Sew it near the edge, like this (again, sew over the line a few times, or use close zigzag):

 (Side view of webbing and where to sew)

• Now I shall start talking about right sides and wrong sides. The right side is the side you want to appear on the outside of the finished article (and guess what the wrong side is?). If you are using a Gore-Tex-type material then the wrong side will have a fine mesh layer over it. A waterproof material has a wrong side with some sort of visible coating on it

• From your scraps of material, cut two 3cm squares and fold each of them in half so the wrong sides are together. You will end up with two 3cm x 1.5cm rectangles. Take your zip and zip it almost shut, leaving about 5cm unzipped. Bring the two ends of this open end as close together as you can manage (you can pin the two loose ends of the zip close together, or use a single paper staple as long as you are sure to avoid the metal when you sew), and place one of the folded rectangles over the end. The rectangle should sit on the front part of the zip's teeth  - usually these teeth have a higher profile than the back - and be aligned so that the short side of the rectangle is parallel to the zip track. The fold of the rectangle should face the zip puller. Sew the square over the zip, going right through the plastic (slowly) and back again a couple of times. Like this:

RS = Right Side

 (Side view of zip with folded square of material over)

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