Anybody have any ideas what I could use/buy for a belt not made of leather?
this may sound dumb but what i did is took scrap fabric and folded it in half and sewed all the way around cept leaving a bit so i could turn it inside out and just sew it by hand and i just tie it in a knot or a bow if you leave it long enough, cheap and it works to hold a load
Depending on what goes with your garb, you could use a thick rope, fabric works as well.
In the old forum, there was a wonderful post of portraits of women with period belts--hardly a leather one among 'em. I'll see if I can find some similar images.
Here's one with black cord (http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/florentine/images/floren16.jpg) (the drapery sections of department stores or Hobby Lobby have thick twisted cords like this)
This one (http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/florentine/images/floren2.jpg) appears to be a narrowish strip of fabric
This one is made of beads (http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/secondflor/images/2floren9.jpg)
How about knotted silk cord? (http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/secondflor/images/2floren30.jpg)
If I were going to make something like Anne of Cleves's (http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/images/Cleves,Anne01.jpg), I'd probably use wide trim, mounted on webbing.
I've also been known to wear a couple of different mundane belts, sort of like this (http://image.coldwatercreek.com/Products/296x370/H91453_999_S.jpg) or this. (http://zoom.jcpenney.com//is/image/0900631b8132925cM.tif?op_usm=1.5,.8,0,0&resmode=sharp&hei=250&wid=250) This is a good time of year to find belts like that--check places like Walmart, Marshall's, etc.
Another good place to check is Value Village, Talize, Goodwill, Sally Ann, etc. I've found many appropriate belts at these places. :)
How about braiding up a belt out of your scraps? or matching/contrasting materials to your costume?
I agree, a braided rag belt could be a good look depending on your garb. Simple and quick, it's a popular faire look. You can buy them at faire, but if you've got scraps, it's free!
Thanks everyone. I like the braided scraps idea, I'll have to try that. If not, I can buy some cord from JoAnn's/Michael's.
Edit: I tried braiding some scraps, and it turned out...all right. It looks kinda like a dog toy but I don't mind. I just have a couple problems. One is that it's too short, which I can fix. I have more fabric. The other, however has to do with the ends. How do you keep them from unraveling without having two huge, annoying knots? I would show you pcitures, but my computer is not cooperating.
Thanks again.
I would suggest sewing the ends, either serged or, if you made "tubes" of fabric, just sew right sides together, turn, voila. Then you could hand stitch the 3 sections at the bottom in a neat and tidy finish.
A thought... depending on how thick your fabric is, you could end the braid before the bottom, sew together to finish, then twist each individual piece for a few inches and end off with a bead or something at the end. Think like a hair braid where you leave a bit of a "tail" in your hair. I don't think I'm explaining it very well. Sorry.