Needlepoint Belts

Maybe your mother or even your grandmother needlepointed.  In my house, it never went out of style.  It is relaxing and there are so many unique projects today - ornaments, pillows, door stops, rugs, and belts.  

Needlepoint belts are timeless, are a great way to dress up a white t-shirt and jeans in the summer and a simple black turtleneck in winter and even your SO will love one.  When the leather backing wears out you can have it replaced.  If you gain weight just add longer leather tabs.  These have always been chic in the equestrian world and now you can stitch a belt in almost any motif known to man from your profession to a baseball team to flowers to farm animals.  There are lots of sources for belts and I send mine to Journeyman's in Middleburg, VA for finishing.

If you don't want to stitch your own, then you can buy them "off the shelf" at Smathers & Branson:

J McLaughlin makes these:

These belts from Tucker-Blair are "ready made" and quite economical.  

But I prefer making my own and it does not take that long to stitch one.  Then you can also select colors, add your initials and chose your thread (wool, cotton, silk, silk/wool blend). 

This belt looks good once it is stitched but I would change the background color to orange, light blue, green, or even a shade of lavender.  I love the Gucci look.  You can purchase this online here.

The Jockey Silks belt below is popular and has been around for a long time.  This looks good with a black background for contrast (and it won't show dirt).  You can order this one here.

One of the best sources for equestrian belts is M's Canvas House in Lexington, KY.  If ever in Lexington, stop by as there is much more in the store than online. They have a lot of "horsey" stuff unique to their store.