Belts, Part One: Have One Custom Made!

Vintage dresses often feature a matching self-fabric belt and buckle. I adore this look, don't you? Vintage sewing patterns will direct you in making one, or more cryptically, instruct you to "have one made." I suppose in the 50's, there must have been places you could easily go to and have a belt made. Well, times have changed. Now there appears to be only one business that offers this service (that I know of).

Pat Mahoney is the proprietress of Pat's Custom Buttons and Belts, a mail-order business out of Lodi, California. According to this fascinating article, "Mahoney began as a home-based dressmaker, but when Singer Sewing Co. discontinued its button and belt covering service in Lodi, she bought the associated equipment."

There's no website, so you either need to call or write to get a catalog. (How quaint!) I read about Pat in Threads magazine a while ago, and being desirous of some fancy custom-made fabric belts, I gave her a call. She was enormously sweet and nice to chat with, and she sent out a catalog on the double. (Note that there is a five dollar charge for a catalog.)

The catalog is, in a nutshell, a seamstress's dream. Just look at some of the fancy buttons you can have made!

So, having just bought the red silk duchesse for the sheath dress, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try out the service. I was very pleased, all around. All you have to do is find the style buckle you want in the catalog (there are a whopping 127 styles!), and choose from a few other options (thread or metal eyelets, etc.). I mailed out my form and fabric and received my belt back in under two weeks. And it was gorgeous, all for the low low price of $17.50.



If you'd like to try out this service (and I highly recommend that you do), you can contact Pat as follows:

Pat's Custom Buttons and Belts
(209) 369-5410
537 York Street
P.O. Box 335
Lodi, CA 95241

If you'd rather DIY, check back soon(ish) for a post on making your own self-fabric belt!