Saturday, January 24, 2009

Necktie madness

"If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck?" ~Linda Ellerbee

I've been working on my mom's outfit a little and have come to a standstill on it. I deconstructed the muslin and cut the pieces out of the fashion fabric, but I didn't label them in any way, the front of the fabric or the back, or which pieces are front panels or side panels. I thought I could just figure it out, but it's turning out to be quite a chore and is making me angry.

I'll get back to it but I definitely needed a break from it. In the meantime I worked on the next project I have in my queue...my dad's tie. If you recall, I bought two tie silks in the New York fashion district. I decided to use this one



to make a tie for my Dad's Christmas present this past Christmas. Well now that it's almost February, it's about time I started working on it, eh? :)

I used Kwik Sew 3183 for the pattern.



First I made a muslin to practice. It turned out so-so.





As you can see, the point wasn't exactly straight, and while you can't see it in this picture, the interfacing showed on the back, and there's a crease down the center of the tie that I couldn't get to iron out. The cool thing was that I figured out how to change the directions a little bit to fix these problems.

For the first time in my sewing experiences, I am *extremely* pleased with how it turned out! Don't get me wrong, I've liked other things I've made, but this is the first time I've felt very excited and happy about how the item looks in comparison to a store-bought item.




This tie was such a fun, quick, and relatively easy project! I do believe my Dad will be quite surprised and happy when he sees his (belated) Christmas present. :)

5 comments:

Gwen said...

Wow, the tie looks great! And it's really cool that you figured out how to adjust the instructions to fix the problems with the muslin! Yay! :)

I'm going to have to try a tie one of these days... Are you making the other tie next?

Good luck with your Mom's outfit - don't worry, you'll figure it out!

Anonymous said...

Wow, gorgeous! Are we going to get to see Ben's tie as well?

Anonymous said...

The tie looks really nice! Good job! I love the fabric too. I think your dad will love his gift :)

-Natalie

Gwen said...

Hey Christine!
I have an award for you posted on my blog. :)
http://afterthedress.blogspot.com

Come by if you would like to play, but of course it’s completely optional.

Take care,
Gwen

Unknown said...

Neckties!! SO cool!

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