Hello cats and kittens! For this post, I've decided to do a little bit of a tutorial for educational purposes. For my first real project of the year I've decided to make a bow tie & pocket square for Andrew. So gather around and put on a good record or two - its time to sew :]
So first off, you need some scissors, pins, a bow tie to make a pattern from, your fabric (duh), and a sharpened fabric chalk! If you dont know how to sharpen your chalk, well its quite easy! I usually take a straight knife and run it across the edge until it is at a fine point. This will help you mark your pattern precisely - so having sharpened chalk is always a must!
So now you say you have all of your items? good. So lets start making a pattern! Adjust the bow tie to the size you need (if it is adjustable) and trace it on a stronger weight paper. When you have a good trace down, make a .25in outline around it. This will give us some room to work around the seams.
** secret tip #1 - the kind of pattern you make will determine the type of bow tie you will make! so watch out! not all bow ties are the same shape. the different curves and thicknesses will give you very different results. **
Now as pictured above, make a 1-2in tab at the center of your tie. This will leave us an opening that we will use later to line things up and do some magic tricks with. I also marked about an 1in from the center a little spot as a reminder. Now what I had to do, because my piece of fabric was not as long as the entire span of the tie, I had to divide the pattern in half and make two halves to each side of the pattern. This is very simple to deal with, just remember to leave a good 1/2in extra at the center of each side so we can sew them back up together.
So get pinning, tracing with your newly sharpened chalk, and cutting with your scissors!
** important tip #2 - Don't forget to flip your pattern over so each side of your pattern has the appropriate side of fabric facing out. I have a feeling I made it sound confusing, but I'm sure you'll figure it out if you do it the wrong way. It will be obvious if your fabric is facing the wrong way. **
Phew! all of the pieces are cut out - now its snack time :] I believe its important to take breaks while you work, it helps you focus and stay positive. I made a cup of tea and broke off a corner of mint dark chocolate- yumm!
** secret tip #3 - take snack breaks. **
Alright gang, snack time is over - now lets get to the actual sewing part! Make sure to pick out an appropriate thread. Lets use our chalk and mark the center of the pattern on each piece of the fabric. Take each half and pair it with its other (the 2 halves per 2 sides of the tie) to join them - making the two sides of the tie. Pin them together, leaving that 1/5in extra hanging out in the middle, and sew each side together. Now you should have two full sides to your tie. The halves are joined (and pressed if you like), and we can move unto the next step.
** useful tip #4 - To make sure a thread is the right color for your project, unravel a strand out and lay it against your fabric. Thread looks different on and off the spool. So to get the right color, especially for patterns, always remember to lay it against your fabric. **
Now we can lay each side of the tie on top of each other. Make sure they are facing each other - otherwise you will have an inside out tie! So align them correctly and start pinning them.
** secret tip #5 - Pin a few pins from end to end, and then add other pins in between. This will help the fabric to not shift while you pin - because depending on the fabric your working with, some may even try to wiggle while you pin. So pin a few in the vital areas across before you attempt to pin it evenly. **
So now sew the sides together - leaving that .25in extra that we made on the pattern on the outside. And remember to leave that opening we marked not to sew into. Okay? good.
When its sewn all the way around (except for the opening we left), take a stick and push the ends of the tie in toward the center, and out of the opening we left. ~ m a g i c ! ~ And when the inside is pushed out, use your fingers to adjust the seam on the inside so it lays nicely.
** secret tip #6 - if the corners of the tie are not coming out with your fingers, use a needle to pick at it until it comes out. **
Now fold in the section we left open, hand sew it shut, and viola - we did it! Bow tie down, pocket square to go. Now the pocket square is easy. make a square (they usually are 12 x 12in), fold the edges in twice, and sew a seam on top!
What I did was sew two parallel sides down, and then fold their corners in so it makes for a nice finish. (it looks nicer than just sewing across all sides).
So there we have it! :]
Project time: 2 hrs
Snack times: 1
Records listened: 3
Cost: $5
I hope this helped those out there who are curious - and amused those who weren't originally. To be honest I never knew how hard it is to make a tutorial - hopefully it wasn't too confusing.
Tune in next time to see where Andrew and I went after I gave him his gifts. All I can say is:
MONKEYS
FORTUNES
& FIRE
o my! :}
