Pokemon GO Trainer Costume (with Belt Tutorial)

    Here's the finished costume!  I've written about where I found the shorts, cami, leggings, and cap in this earlier post and how to decorate the cap in this post.  The shirt was one I found at Goodwill.  It's not a perfect match to the trainer jacket, but I didn't have the time or sewing skills to make one and so I just grabbed something that was close enough in color and in cut.  I rolled up the bottom of the shirt to make it look more like the trainer costume.  The sneakers my sister gave me as a souvenir from her trip to England, but you can find black sneakers from most clothing stores.  For the choker, I safety pinned some blue ribbon around my neck.  The costume would not be complete without a buddy Pokemon.  If you're looking to make your own Meowth, Snorlax, or Zubat buddy, I've got you covered.  If you're wondering how to make the belt, keep reading.

For reference, here's what my in game trainer looks like.

Materials:
*Blue ribbon
*Black ribbon
*Blue felt
*Black felt
*Sewing machine
*All purpose adhesive
*Scissors
*Chalk or metallic marker

Directions:
*Cut off two lengths of ribbon, one blue and the other black, that are about as long as your hips are wide.

*Place the two ribbons together shiny side in and stitch together along one of the edges.
*Unfold the ribbon.  You may need to iron it or press it under a heavy weight for a while to get it to stay flat.

*Cut out a circle from black felt.  I traced around a drinking glass to make the circular shape.
*Cut out a shield shape from blue felt.  I just freehanded it.

*Glue the shield onto the circle and set aside to dry.

*When it has finished drying, place the belt around your hips and overlap the ends until you have a comfortable fit that sits on your hips but will not slide off.  Mark where this position is and then take the belt off and glue the ends together.  Note: this step works best if your hips are relatively wide in comparison to your shoulders.  If this is not the case, you may have to use some sort of fastener, like Velcro, so that you can actually open it up to get it on and off.

*Glue the felt shield/circle over the part of the ribbon where the two ends meet.  If you need to open it up to get it on, make sure to glue it to one side of the closure or the other, but not both.