Pop Can Tabs

Note the little gray paw at the top of this first photo...Lizzie Tu tries to help me with every craft project and every photo I try to take. She is our cat that has to know about everything going on in this house.

For this craft project you will need to collect 110 or more pop can tabs to make a 35 inch belt.

Ribbon or cord at least 2 feet longer than the finished belt measurment. As you connect the can tabs together it will use more ribbon than the belt length. This is my first attempt at making a pop can tab belt and I will use more ribbon next time!

I used two pieces of ribbon to weave through each side of the pop can tabs. My thought was that it would make the belt stronger. Next time I will only use one piece, because it was too hard to get both ends through the small holes in the tabs.

Tie the ribbon or cords together about 8 inches from the ends. Thread the ribbon through each hole of one tab. Thread on a second tab so it overlaps the first tab. Push the ribbon back through the holes of the second tab and the holes of the first tab. Turn it over and cross over the ribbon to make an "X" on the back side of the tabs. Continue threading through the tab fronts and crossing over the ribbon on the tab backs. It is hard to get started, but easy to do!

You will need to leave enough at the ends to knot together and use the extra ribbon to tie the belt. I also plan to check for belt hooks later to see if that would look better on the finished project.

My granddaughter thought this was a cool belt when I got it finished. When I first started putting the pop can tabs on the ribbon she thought I was crazy. Funny how a finished project can look different!

What craft ideas do you have for pop can tabs? Leave a comment on this blog....