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What you will need to make a money belt
(The sizes shown make a belt that will hold an EU or US size passport, credit card and about 15 normal size travellers' cheques without stubs)
What you will need to make a money belt
(The sizes shown make a belt that will hold an EU or US size passport, credit card and about 15 normal size travellers' cheques without stubs)
If you make this belt as
suggested, the costs should be less than half that of a
commercial belt and - provided you sew carefully - it will last 2-5 times as
long.
When you are travelling, the belt is worn under your clothes, and comfort is
obviously a major issue. Some of the belts in stores have nasty, sweat-inducing
plastic materials in them and badly finished seams that will scratch and
irritate you. The beauty of making your own belt is that you can choose friendly
materials and fine-tune (if you like) the article to be as comfortable and
utilitarian as possible. I've made five belts to this base pattern and have been
happy with each. It shouldn't take you long to
discover what's right for you, but this bare-bones design
is the best place to start. You can add embellishments to the pattern once you
get the feel of the finished item or, if you're an experienced seamster(ess),
modify it before you begin.
Pictured under is the current model of the belt design I use, a compact version
which takes the EU standard passport and features two, popper-closed pouches to enable quick access to higher value local currency notes.
It's not the belt you will make if you follow this pattern - those pouches on
the front are extra, and you'll need more than beginners' stitching skills to
get them right. I made the belt in Taslan-finish Gore-Tex, and all of the other
construction follows the pattern described here. If the belt
looks a bit battered in the photo that's because it is - it's been with me for
eight trips lasting a total of two years! Aside from a little beeswax on the
zip, it has distinguished itself by being almost ignored during two-day train
rides, spells on the beach, sweaty nights in cheap hotels where I wore it to bed
because the rooms' security seemed suspect, and trekking trips to the Everest
region...
Requirements for a basic money belt
Base material 22cm x 21cm, plus a few scraps for testing thread tensions and masking the ends of the zip. Use whatever material you like, but bear in mind that thick stuff like denim is tougher to sew, and that thin materials quickly distort with normal wear and tear. Cotton is more skin-friendly, but has to be washed regularly - remember to take your passport out first - so it doesn't become stiff and uncomfortable. If you can get it, I recommend a Taslan finish, medium-weight breathable nylon, such as Gore-Tex. Then you won't need to wrap your things in plastic inside the belt to keep them from getting drenched by sweat. As an added advantage, Gore-Tex material won't fray when you sew it with simple seams as this pattern suggests (you may have to "bind" seams if you use a woven cotton fabric, for instance). This fabric size will allow you to fit one EU-sized passport, a few credit cards and some cash or Travellers' Cheques into the belt. If you plan to take something more, or use a larger passport, change the sizes to suit;
One 20mm Ladderloc buckle (this is
the type with three or four bars, usually made of black plastic);
ladderloc
buckle
1.5m of 20mm webbing in your choice of colour (I prefer nylon, as it won't stiffen with sweat);
21cm long coil zip, closed end, with slider (there's no need to buy a heavy-duty zip - a normal 6mm zip is fine and if you buy one "off the roll" you can get the length just right - otherwise buy a longer zip and cut it to size);
Strong polyester thread in the colour you choose;
Machine needles suitable for your material thickness;
A zip foot for your sewing machine;
A cigarette lighter or candle flame;
A few pins.
Try your local haberdashery store for the bits, or
if you live in Europe, visit
Pennine
Outdoor or
Point North where you can browse online a large range of DIY
sewing accessories and specialised waterproof materials. There are probably
online materials suppliers in the US and Oz as well.
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