How to Make a Necktie Scarf

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Things You'll Need

  • 3 neckties

  • Seam ripper

  • Polar fleece

  • Cutting mat

  • Rotary cutter

  • Pins

  • Sewing machine

  • Needle

  • Thread

Deconstruct three silk neck ties into a warm winter scarf.

Many, but not all, neckties are made from silk. Recycling neck ties into scarves gives you a chance to work with a luxury fabric at little to no cost. It also helps reduce your impact on the environment by saving worn-out neckties from landfills, and breathes new life into wardrobe items languishing in closets. As an added bonus, necktie scarves, which are a unisex clothing item, give new life to traditionally male garments. Pick up old neckties inexpensively at thrift stores or yard sales, or go through a male friend or relative's closet. Necktie scarves require minimal sewing skills, making them an ideal project for beginning sewers to flex their crafty muscles.

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Step 1

Lay the necktie onto a flat surface with the back, or seamed, side facing upward.

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Step 2

Part the seaming with your fingers, at least enough to see one or two of the stitches that hold the tie together.

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Step 3

Pick the stitches out with a seam ripper. Snag one or two stitches at a time and pull. Do this along the entire length of the tie.

Step 4

Pull the interior padding out of the necktie, if applicable. Some, but not all, ties have a thin layer of foam padding sewn inside to help the tie keep its shape.

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Step 5

Locate the stitches that tack the tie's printed fabric to its plain lining. Remove these stitches with a seam ripper.

Step 6

Position the opened necktie on a cutting mat. Slice the points at each end of the tie off using a rotary cutter.

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Step 7

Deconstruct two more neckties in the same manner as the first.

Step 8

Flip all three ties over so that the wrong side is facing up. The wrong side is the back of the fabric, the one that isn't patterned or printed as brightly.

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Step 9

Pin the cut edge of one tie to the cut edge of another. Pin the second edge of the second tie to one edge of the first. Pin with the right sides facing, so that the seams are located on the back or wrong side of the fabric.

Step 10

Sew the pinned edges. You can use a sewing machine or sew by hand. Remove the pins.

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Step 11

Measure the length and width of your sewn-together neckties.

Step 12

Draw a rectangle on a piece of polar fleece matching the length and width of the sewn ties as a guide.

Step 13

Place the polar fleece with the wrong, or un-patterned side, facing up on a flat surface. Not all polar fleece has a right or wrong side.

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Step 14

Position the neckties over the polar fleece rectangle, with the wrong side of the ties facing downward. Fold ¼-inch of fabric from the neck ties under, sandwiching it between the right side of the neckties and the wrong side of the polar fleece on all sides. Pin and sew by hand or machine.

Step 15

Remove all pins. Trim any excess polar fleece. Trim all loose threads.

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