Craft Projects > Clothing > AccessoriesApril 24, 2006

Monopoly Money Belt

By Stella Bui-Rivet

Here's a belt that is sure to impress your crafty friends. It's a belt made out of Monopoly money and vinyl.

Time Commitment: 2.5-4 hours. I did this over a stretch of a few days working on it a little bit at a time.

Cost: Less than $10. Depends on cost of vinyl, belt buckle or thrift store belt and grommets. And of course if you have the craft tools needed.

Supplies Needed:

  • Monopoly Money
  • Medium weight Vinyl
  • Old Belt you don't mind destroying (I went to the thrift store and found a belt that had a wide enough buckle for the monopoly money to fit through and was cheap enough to take apart).
  • Grommets for the belt holes
  • Leather punch or small hole punch, some grommet kits come with this.
  • Grommet placer
  • Sewing Machine
  • Clear thread
  • Scissors
  • Craft Knife

Directions:

1. Determine the length you will need to make the belt. I took one of my belts and used that as a guide.

Monopoly Money Belt

2. Cut the vinyl for your belt. I cut my vinyl approximately 42 inches in length and 3 1/2 inches wide.

3. Sew two pieces of vinyl together with a straight stitch down the length of the vinyl, 3/4 inches in from one end.

4. Between the two pieces of vinyl, line up Monopoly money in the order you want. Keep the money flush against the straight stitch you just sewed. I needed 12 bills for my belt. Each Monopoly bill is 2 inches wide and 4 inches long, although I used some Monopoly Junior money which is 2 inches wide and 3 1/4 inches long. If you have some clear vinyl on the end where you can't fit another full monopoly bill, it's ok, do not cut the excess off, you will need it when adding the belt buckle.

5. Sew in between each bill with a zigzag stitch to hold each bill in place.

6. Sew down the opposite length of the vinyl right next to the bills.

7. The width of the monopoly money is too wide for most belt loops so you have to fold some of the bills over on each side to make it the proper width. Once the bills are sewn into the vinyl you should have 1/2 inch on each side of the bills. I had to fold over about 5/8" to 3/4" on each side. You want the front to measures approximately 1 1/2 inches. To make sewing easy, use pins to secure your fold.

Monopoly Money Belt

This would be a good time to make sure that the belt will fit into the buckle you have chosen for it, also check to see if the belt fits through your belt loops (use your model belt as a guide).

Note: You can skip this step if you are making this strictly as a fashion belt and do not actually need it to hold up you pants. You can keep the normal width of the bills and just fold over and sew excess vinyl on each side.

8. If you haven't already, cut the buckle out of the belt you are sacrificing. Use that belt as a template for the hole you will be cutting for the buckle pin to fit through. Line up the two belts and trace the hole with a pen. Be sure that you leave enough room on one end to fold over and sew the buckle in place. Cut with a craft knife around the line you just traced. Sew around the hole you just cut.

Monopoly Money Belt

Monopoly Money Belt

9. Put the buckle in place, fold over, and sew down.

Monopoly Money Belt

Monopoly Money Belt

10. On the other end of the belt you can choose to just fold over the end as a hem, or you can fold two sides in towards the middle to make a V shape at the tip of the belt.

Monopoly Money Belt

Monopoly Money Belt

11. Use a belt as a template for the hole placement. Line up the belts, on the back side of your monopoly belt trace the holes.

Monopoly Money Belt

12. With a small leather punch or hole punch, punch where you have just made your hole marks. Be sure the hole is not bigger than the grommet you will be placing there, you actually want it a tiny bit smaller, the vinyl will stretch a little around the grommet.

Monopoly Money Belt

13. Place the grommets in the holes and secure them in place with whichever grommet placer you may have.

Monopoly Money Belt

TA DA! You have completed your very own monopoly money belt. I am sure now you can think up all sorts of other types of belts you can make using other pieces of board games, magazines or photographs. And once you have the basic supplies, scissors, craft knife, grommet kit, spare belt buckles, you can make these belts pretty cheaply, since vinyl is not very expensive.

Monopoly Money Belt

About The Author: Stella recently graduated from college and enjoys contributing craft ideas to ThriftyFun.com. If you have any craft ideas that you would like to share with Stella and ThriftyFun community, please submit them here.

Feedback

Read feedback for this post below.

By KimC (Guest Post) 10/26/2008

You can buy vinyl at fabric stores (10 oz.or lighter) or use an old clear vinyl table cloth. If the sewing machine sticks to the vinyl while you are sewing try to LIGHTLY oil the vinyl. DON'T use too much or it will soak through the stitch holes and stain the money. When you are done sewing just clean off the oil.

By Kelsey (Guest Post) 10/06/2008

Where do you go to get medium weight vinyl??

By guest (Guest Post) 09/25/2008

Why do you have to use a belt? Why can't you just buy a belt buckle that is big enough? they sell those at craft stores.

Editor's Note: You could do either.

By Zach (Guest Post) 10/31/2007

Nice idea, truly I would have never thought of using Monopoly Money in the design of a belt.

By
03/26/2007

very creative! I love it!

By zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (Guest Post) 12/29/2006

sweet

By (Guest Post) 09/13/2006

that belt is really cute can't wait and try it but it will be a while cause i am a beginer

By q.t.pii (Guest Post) 09/04/2006

Yeah...thats REALLY cool...thats totally something im gonna have to try!!!

By sylvia (Guest Post) 08/22/2006

can someone tell me how you get your sewing machine to sew this vinlye to work on your machine

By LilCrafty45 in TX (Guest Post) 08/08/2006

This is just too cool !
Reminds me of the juice pouch purses that have been popping up all over my town.
I wish I had the imagination to think of something like this to sell, and make money at flea markets with.

By
06/08/2006

I just had to check it out as my sons always loved to play momopoly they have good momories of when they were younger and we played an had popcorn served in a big plastic purple bowl which finally went to plastic heaven kids are funny the way they remember things of when they were young any way sorry about that your belt is fantastic great job.

By
04/25/2006

I think that's terrific!

Laura in NH

By
04/24/2006

WOW! Where do these ideas come from? I am just
glad you shared with us. This is a great gift idea
and for myself too.
Thank You.

By
04/24/2006

I love the Monopoly Money Belt, it is so cute and it is a way to recycle a thriftstore belt and old Monopoly Money. I LOVE IT.

Zig

By Jeanne in Maine (Guest Post) 04/24/2006

WOW that was a great idea ,cant wait to try this....thank you so much

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