For Martha, belts count as jewelry since making these chain belts falls in the “jewelry” chapter. I’m more of a belt-as-accessory kind of girl, but I suppose that’s all semantics.

Chains are easy, people. All you do is buy some chain and then add clasps. The biggest problem is finding the chain, which I mentioned before. There’s a good selection at M&J Trimming in NYC, and you can order them online, so that’s a good choice.

First up are the necklaces:

You know, easy breezy, I just used the leftover chain I had. If I had more, I probably would’ve made these a little longer.

And then, the belt:

At first I was all, “meh,” but now I kind of like it. I’m not really much of a belt wearer. But it’s cute. All you need to buy in addition to the chain is a belt buckle. This one I bought is actually a purse clasp thing, but I liked the aesthetic of it better than the other buckles they had at the fabric store. It’s also nice because it’s easily adjustable by hooking into whatever link works best.

TIME INVESTED

Virtually none.

Necklaces: About 10 minutes

Belt: About 5 minutes

I mean, not even. With the belt, I just had them give me exactly the length I wanted at the store, so all I had to do was hook on the buckle.

DIFFICULTY

So easy you cannot even believe it

TOTAL COST

Cheap!

• chain, between $3 – $10 a yard depending on size and material
• belt buckle, $7.95
• clasps, $1.99

Necklace total cost = between $5 – $10

Belt total cost = between $13 – $20

WAS IT WORTH IT?

Definitely. If you are looking for a chain belt, it almost doesn’t make sense to buy one. For example, here’s a simple chain belt from CAbi, which is like Tupperware for clothes (you go to parties to buy their stuff; my SIL just had one and I bought a few things).

Cute, right? It’s $59. And I made mine for $16.

The necklaces can be cute, too; I think they work best layered.

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