I have a hard time spending money on things that I can make easily myself. Making my own running belt is one of the easiest sewing and most satisfying sewing project I’ve done so far.

I almost always carry my phone with me when I run but finding a great way to bring it with me was a challenge. I started out with an armbelt, but those are awkward, ugly, and uncomfortable, especially as phones get bigger.  Then I switched to a Fuel Belt and while that worked, it was also bulky and bouncy. So I decided to sew my own, loosely based off of the stretchy Fitbelt.

There are no buckles on this type of belt.  It’s simply a length of stretchy fabric folded in half to create a pocket, then sewn into a loop that you step into.  Your phone, gels, and whatever else you need to carry gets tucked inside and it all stays put with zero bounce since it’s stretched tight across your waist or hips. So simple!

The fabric needs to be twice as wide as the width of your phone after allowing for hemming the two long ends. The length of the fabric should be a little smaller than the measurement of where you want to put it.  It needs to be nice and snug to keep everything from bouncing.

After cutting your fabric, hem the two long ends.  I like a nice thick hem of one inch.  Then fold the fabric in half long ways and sew the two short ends together, creating a loop.  Step into it and try it on, tucking your phone inside.  If it bounces, sew it to make the loop a little smaller.  Once you are happy with the fit, that’s it!

I personally like the black belt since it just disappears and you can barely tell I have a belt on.  But I’ve also gotten some fun new fabrics lately that would work too.  Would a leopard-print running belt be too much?