How to Make a Tie Toss Pillow

Do you need an idea for a masculine room, one with retro or eclectic decor? This tie toss pillow fits the bill and is the ultimate in recycling discarded fabric. Scour your local thrift stores and yard sales for neck ties. Your friends and family will be impressed by your cleverness and those hard-to-shop-for men on your gift list will be pleasantly surprised by your thoughtfulness.

Things You'll Need

• 12-inch square recycled toss pillow
• 10 neck ties
• Pins
• Matching thread
• Hand sewing needle
• Scissors
• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Measure 26 inches from the wide end of each tie and cut. Discard the skinny end or save it for a different project.

2. Wrap one tie around the middle of the toss pillow. Pin the ends together in the center back. The finished, wide end of the tie should overlap the cut end.

3. Alternate the wide and narrow ends of the ties on either side of the first one. You will need five ties wrapped in one direction to fill the tie toss pillow.

4. Hand sew the ends of the ties together. Do not attach the ties to the tie toss pillow.

5. Weave a tie from side to side, under and over each row of ties on the front and middle of the tie toss pillow. Continue to weave on the back.

6. Adjust the tie to cover the previously sewn stitches and pin.

7. Alternate the wide and narrow ends of the ties on either side of the first one. Weave under and over each tie on each row, alternating the weaving on each consecutive row. Making a checkerboard design, you will need the last five ties to make the weave on the tie toss pillow.

8. Repeat step 4. Neatness counts when sewing the tie ends, as the ends will be showing on the back of the tie toss pillow.