How to Quilt with Neckties
Quilting has grown in popularity in recent years. Runway collections have showcased quilted jackets, pants and accessories. You can use worn and dated neckties to develop exciting quilting projects. Mixing necktie fabrics, patterns and prints can add interest to your quilting crafts and ideas. By measuring the necktie width, drafting a quilted box pattern and arranging your quilted boxes into a specific pattern or repeat, you can transform your existing neckties into a variety of quilting crafts.
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Things You'll Need
- Neckties
- Ruler or tape measure
- Pattern paper
- Pencils
- Straight pins
- Batting (optional)
- Long arm quilting and sewing machine (optional)
- Quilting machine (optional)
- Quilting frame (optional)
Instructions
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Drafting Your Quilting Necktie Pattern
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1
Measure your necktie's tip. Most ties measure 3 1/2 inches in width by 57 inches in length. If your tie narrows significantly along its length, take a separate width measurement for the most narrow portion of the tie.
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2
Draft the quilting box paper pattern. Use pattern paper for your draft. If most of your ties average 3 1/2 inches in width, use the same spec for your pattern's width and length. Your quilted box will be 3 inches once the seam allowance is stitched. You can opt to alter the length measurement according to your quilting project.
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3
Draft your second quilting box paper pattern measuring 1 1/2 inches in width and length. You can opt to use the narrow portion of your necktie to stitch small quilting boxes together and develop one full quilting box. For example, to complete a 3-inch square, cut nine 1 1/2-inch squares. You will lose 1/2 inch all around each square once the seam allowance is stitched. This will give you a full 3-inch quilting box.
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4
Pin the patterns with your straight pins and cut your ties. Since most ties have a lining within the body of the tie, you can opt to utilize it as part of your quilted box to add dimension to your quilting squares. If you are incorporating batting, use the same pattern for your batting squares.
Making a Quilted Necktie Panel
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5
Arrange your quilted boxes according to your design placement. You can opt to develop a repeat print quilting pattern, or, if you are working with a variety of prints, depict a color and repeat it throughout your quilting arrangement.
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6
Pin your quilted boxes together and stitch together to form a quilted panel. Modify the pinned pattern in order to feed the quilting boxes into your machine. For example, if you are working with a long arm quilting and sewing machine, the quilted box setup for stitching is different from a quilting machine or quilting frame setup.
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7
Stitch a quilted border to frame your quilted pattern. Although you can develop the border with your quilting boxes, you can also opt to use the 1 1/2-inch box pattern for a mini quilted box border as well as leftover tie scraps.
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8
Group the necktie scraps by length. Position and align the ties to fit into a 3-inch border frame and stitch together. You can opt to group the ties in a specific pattern to complement the quilted box panel.
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9
Cut your batting 3 inches in width by your border's length and stitch it to the border frame. Stitch your quilted pattern to your quilted border. Your necktie quilt panel is complete.
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References
- Photo Credit four ties image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
