Making a leather belt?

[withopeneyes21.livejournal.com]

(cross-posted with _handmade)

I've been looking for a good thin leather belt for a while now. I finally saw one that I loved on ebay, but it was the wrong color (brown) and the wrong size. However, the "horsebit" buckle of the belt was what got me so excited. It looks almost exactly like an eggbutt snaffle bit (yes, that's what it's really called--don't ask). I was an equestrian for years...so this seemed absolutely perfect.






Getting the buckle isn't a problem--I'm simply going to buy a real bridle bit, and use that as the bucklepiece. (The belt I was looking at didn't close right at the buckle--take a look at the pictures).

How where do I find the leather? And how do I put it together? It looks simple enough...but I've never seen the leather for sale on it's own. I'm not THAT crafty, so I would prefer a leather piece that's finished, or almost finished. If anyone has ideas, let me know. I need the leather to be black, preferably snakeskin/croc embossed (but not a "must"), and 1/2-3/4 inch wide. 24-28 inches when closed (which includes the 6-8 inch buckle...but I can probably adjust on my own).

Any suggestions? Please let me know. This is my first time trying anything like this.