DIY Network

Tie Skirt Tie makeover #2: sewing them into a kirt From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-115

Alexandra Underhill shows a novel use for old neckties: transforming them into a kicky miniskirt!

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Tie Skirt

Materials:

15-20 men's ties
Coats & Clark All-Purpose Dual-Duty Plus Thread
fabric scissors
seamstress chalk
dark marker or fabric marker
pins (not quilting pin)
transparent quilting ruler
tape measure
seam ripper
hammer
leather hole punch, 3/16"
00-gauge grommets, brass or nickel
grommet tool
surface for punching (a piece of thick leather or a magazine)

1. Select about 15 ties, depending on the wearer’s size. Using wider ties, using 15 ties makes a 29" waist and 18 ties, a 37" waist.

2. Measure and cut each tie 17"-18" from the tip (cut them all the same length). The tips will be the bottom edge of the skirt.

3. Arrange cut ties lengthwise in a satisfying sequence, pointing the same direction, fronts all facing up. One tie should overlap the next lengthwise by 1/4". (I like to stagger the lengths a few inches, for a shingling effect. If staggering 2", as I do, cut 2" off every other tie, for those ties to be the higher shingles. After cutting, arrange them again, keeping them even at the cut edges.)

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

4. Before stitching, determine which overlap gets the best stitch from your machine. Mine does much better overlapping the left edge of the tie. Add or remove ties as necessary to achieve proper waist size, represented as the length of the top edge. Get it to measure as much as 1/2" less than the waist size of the wearer, rather than any more, as the stitching of the finished piece will have some give.

5. Pin the sequence of ties together along their lengths, overlapping them 1/4" and pinning on the front side (figure A). Divide the piece in two.

6. Stitch ties in each half together part of the way down the lengths (figure B) and then across the tops. I stitch down 9" or 10", leaving the rest free to move. Stitch the two halves together lengthwise. Serge the top edge (figure C).

7. Lay out the piece with the fronts of ties facing up. Choose a waistband from among the long cut-offs, laying them out over the top edge of the skirt until you’ve selected one. Flip skirt so that the label side of ties faces you. Position the waistband, face down, under the serged edge of skirt with 1/4" of the top of the waistband going beyond the serged edge of the ties. Leave at least 1" of waistband on each end. Pin waistband on the reverse side.

8. Cut ends of waistband 1" beyond the ties and remove at least 2" of the inside padding from each end (otherwise the area will get too thick for the grommet). Turn in each end of waistband and pin.

9. Your first stitch line is the serged edge. Go from one end to the other. The bobbin color should be the same as the top thread, as it will be seen on the front of the skirt. Stitch the waistband ends at least 1/4" in from edge, intersecting the stitch you just made along the waistband. Flip over so that the outside of skirt is up, and stitch along bottom of waistband, 1/4" from its edge (figure D).

10. Make a hole in the waistband about 1/2" from the top and 1/2" from end, using a 3/16" leather hole punch and a hammer. Grommet though hole, using a two-piece grommet tool and a 00 grommet (a 3/16" hole is right for 00 grommets; a bigger grommet requires a bigger hole). Continue making holes and grommeting them (figure E), in a line part of the way down the length of the end tie. Make as many holes as desired, but it’s ideal to make the series the same length as or shorter than length of the stitch holding the ties together. Do both ends of the piece, with an equal number of grommets spanning the same length. Choose 3/8" craft ribbon in desired color to finish off a corset-lacing effect.

GUESTS :

Alexandra Underhill
Website: www.artofxan.com