DIY Mandalorian Rope Belt 1
For these belts, I used about 10 meters of 5mm polypropylene cord and about 15 meters of 5.6mm cotton rope. You can find polypropylene in fabric stores, and cotton clothesline rope at Canadian Tire or hardware stores. You might want to choose cotton if you want to dye it a particular color. If you do choose cotton, wash it before stitching since it might shrink. These belts can be made without a sewing machine. It will just take you longer if you do it by hand-sewing.
To create the green rope belt I used the stitching guide by TK409.com. To start, lay out 2 sections of 7 strands. 14 strands will make a belt about 3 inches wide. I found binder clips helped keep the rope lined up. For the length, measure your hip area and decide what kind of attachment you want. Don’t forget that the rope belt will go over your flight suit and codpiece (if you’re using one). Make sure you make it long enough. If you use elastic with snaps, or webbing trim with parachute clips or buckles you’ll have some room for error.
After you have stitched the 2 sections (of 7) together, sew elastic to the ends and attach large sew-in snaps. I like sew-in snaps since you can easily reposition them in the future if needed or replace if they get worn out or broken. Use the lighter to seal loose threads and apply fray check to all stitch lines and the threads around the snaps. This will make the threads stronger and hopefully prevent any from breaking in the future.
DIY Mandalorian Rope Belt Alternative 2
For this version of the Boba rope belt, I sewed strips of fabric to the seam lines and joined all 16 strands of rope together into one section. (The strips aren’t necessary but they do make the belt more sturdy.) It’s about 3.5 inches wide. Then I glued some soft suede pieces folded over to the ends to hide the rope ends. ( You can use any non-fraying, sturdy fabric, or leather). When using E6000 use clamps or a heavy book to help with adhesion. Then leave it to dry/cure at least overnight. And finally, instead of snaps or buckles, I chose to sew velcro on the ends. Now it’s ready for a dye bath.
DIY Mandalorian Rope Belt Alternative 3
If you prefer a more structured rope belt that has backing material, this is a great tutorial.
I hope this Mandalorian rope belt tutorial helps you. If you would rather use a waist sash instead of the traditional rope girth belt, then keep reading.