Make all the loops from one continuous strip, then cut them up. Made individually they never match.
The strip. Cut a strip four times the finished loop width, on the straight grain, and long enough for every loop with a margin to spare. Fold both long edges to the centre, fold again, press, and topstitch close to both edges. A bias tape maker of the right size makes the folding quick and consistent.
Cut the loops from that strip. The length of each is the finished vertical length, the width of the waistband, and about 25 mm for the two turned-under ends, added together. Cut one first and test it around the belt you intend to wear before cutting the rest.
Fit them loose. A loop that hugs the waistband will not take a belt. Leave clear room for the belt thickness and a finger.
Attach them with bar tacks, not a plain line of stitching. Turn each end under, position it, and sew a dense short zigzag across the folded end. A bar tack spreads the load; a single straight line across is a perforation and it tears.
Positioning. Centre back, and either side of the front, with the rest evenly spaced — five or seven loops on trousers is normal. Mark them all before sewing any.
Order of construction. Attach the lower end of each loop before the waistband goes on, catching it in the waistband seam, then bar tack the top end afterwards. That hides one raw end completely.
Use a heavier thread if the topstitching will show.
Questions people actually ask
How long should a belt loop be?
Waistband width, roughly 10 mm of ease, and 25 mm for turning under. Cut and test one before cutting the rest.
My machine will not sew through the loop ends.
That is four or more layers on top of a waistband. Hammer the folds flat, level the foot with a scrap, and turn the handwheel by hand.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11