How to Make a Quilt out of Neckties
Men’s neckties can be recut and sewn into elegant blocks for a quilt, pillow, wall hanging or purse -- the more colorful, the better. A tie quilt also is a wonderful way to remember a special man. There are several quilt patterns that work well when making a quilt from ties, including: Dresden Plate, Grandmother’s Fan, Sun Ray, Block, Crazy Quilt, Patchwork and Circular. Neckties also make good fabric for appliqued quilts.
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Things You'll Need
- Several neckties
- Coordinating fabric for quilt blocks
- Scissors
- Seam ripper
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Pressing cloth
- Rotary cutter, if desired
- Straight pins
- All-purpose thread
- Sewing machine
- Backing fabric
- Batting
- Quilting thread
Instructions
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Gather a number of neckties from a family member or acquaintances, garage sales or a thrift store. Choose ties that are clean (dry clean if necessary) and in good condition. Tie fabric is most often delicate silk, nylon, polyester or blends of these fibers, so condition is important for a sturdy quilt.
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Choose a pattern for your quilt. Locate or make your own templates for quilt block pieces. Patterns and templates are available in quilt shops, craft centers, in books from libraries or bookstores, or online.
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Open up ties by carefully clipping the stitching and removing labels on the back side. Remove lining and interfacing fabric. Most tie fabric is cut on the bias, so avoid unnecessary stretching in this step.
Place tie fabric flat on an ironing board, top side down. Heat the iron on the silk setting and cover tie fabric with a pressing cloth. Carefully iron to remove folds as much as possible for easier cutting. Make note of or mark spots or stains on tie fabric so you can avoid them when cutting. -
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Decide on the color and fabric scheme for your quilt. Depending on finished size, one block could require most of the available fabric in three ties. A block can include fabric from several ties, which creates a colorful and unified quilt top. Or each block can feature fabric from only a few ties, which makes a varied and interesting quilt design. If the quilt is to honor a special person, this approach likely will evoke memories with the ties being more identifiable.
Using pattern templates, cut necktie and coordinating fabric pieces for quilt blocks with scissors or a rotary cutter. Stack together each block’s cut pieces for easy storage until you are ready to sew. -
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Sew quilt block pieces together according to pattern by hand or with a sewing machine threaded with all-purpose thread. Quilting thread may be too heavy for the delicate necktie fabric.
When all are assembled, lay all the blocks on a bed or the floor to determine placement for the finished quilt. Create a pleasing arrangement of color, texture and fabric designs; rearrange until you are happy with the overall look. Stack each row in order, and label each stack by row for storage until ready to sew. -
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Using all-purpose thread, hand or machine sew blocks together to create the quilt top and carefully press seams down on raw-edge side with iron on silk setting. Spread out the quilt top, raw-edge side up and spread quilt batting over it. Spread the quilt backing fabric over both.
Pin the pieces in place so you can quilt through all three layers. Do the quilting yourself if you have the skills and equipment. If not, look for a professional quilter or a group that does quilting to raise money for charity. These groups often can be found through churches or senior centers.
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Tips & Warnings
Very old ties may not be colorfast. Test a fabric patch before ironing or sewing a dark-colored tie fabric next to a light-colored background piece.
With most necktie quilts, there is always uncertainty about colorfastness and the delicate fabric’s durability. It’s a good idea to dry clean rather than wash necktie quilts.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
