DIY Leather Belt Yoga Mat Strap Upcycle

Have too many belts lying around at home, and don’t know what to do with them next? FYI, leather belts are an easy way to add a polished but natural element to any DIY project, from classy floating shelves to your workout equipment!For this project, you’ll need two belts to secure the rolled yoga mat, and one more strap for your shoulder. We’re making our upcycled yoga strap two ways; one using an old out-of-style braided tie-on belt from 2002 as the shoulder strap that we had lying at the bottom of the closet (you know you had one, too), but if you tossed your “Genie In a Bottle” belt long ago, you can easily use a strip of raw leather as the strap.

Step 1: Begin with the belts you’ll be using to wrap around your rolled mat. We found these matching skinny belts for under $10, but you can use any old belt! Wrap the first belt around your rolled mat. Use a pen to mark how long the belt needs to be to go around the mat with just a few inches of wiggle room.Step 2:  Line both belts up next to each other and use the first belt to mark the second one so they are both the same length. Then cut both belts to their new, shorter lengths.

Step 3: Wrap the new, shorter belt around the rolled mat once more. Use a pen to mark where the clasp of the belt will fall on the underside of the belt. Remove and line up next to the other belt and draw a matching dot on the second strap.

Step 4: Use a sharp pointed object to poke a hole through the belt where you’ve marked your dot. If you’re fancy and have an awl, that works best, or you can use the pointed tip of a paring knife, or you can use a “wood spade” drill bit like we did. Wood spade bits have a small point meant to start a hole and a larger paddle blade meant to drill larger circular holes in wood. The small point works beautifully on leather to create a new hole in the belt!

Step 5: Time to add your shoulder strap! Version 1 using our prized middle school tie-on belt: Remove any extra leather ties leaving behind the main part of the belt and the metal rings on the end. Loop the new short belts through the metal rings and secure around the rolled mat!

Version 2: Using a raw strip of leather, tie each end of the leather strip securely around the short belts, about 4 inches from the buckle. To make this easy Celtic knot, place the belt on top of the leather strip to form a “t”, then cross the leather over the belt, then behind and under the other side of the leather strip. Pull the end of the leather strip through the loop you’ve created to create the bulk of the knot. Lastly, take the end piece and tuck it around the back and through the middle of the knot in a kind of double knot. Pull tightly to secure. Repeat on the other side.

Step 6: Once your strap is secured to the small belts, you’re ready to roll up and go! Wrap the small belts around your rolled mat and secure like you would a normal belt. Adjust the placement of the knots if you need so that the buckles are even.

Not only do we love rocking our new chic yoga mat strap to class, but we love the way it looks hanging in the house as well! Such a quick and easy upcycle that you’ll be getting tons of use out of. We knew we were holding on to that old belt for a reason! Now what to do with those old butterfly hair clips…

Did you use this belt upcycle? Show us your stuff by tagging us on Instagram and use #BeMakeful. Namaste from Makeful!