Abstract: A toothed belt and method of manufacturing the same wherein the opposed ends of a tooth covering fabric are stitched with an interposed rigid element disposed within the stitching. The rigid element is used to accurately locate the joint of the fabric with respect to the tooth molding groove, at least during a subsequent tensile cord winding step which normally tends to displace the fabric joint. The joint may be accurately located as desired with respect to the mandrel or mold. Different structure for holding the ends of the rigid element are disclosed. The rigid element may be removed prior to the rubber vulcanization step during which step the wrapped tensile cord effectively maintains the fabric joint at the desired location.