Father’s Day Tie
As you may remember we posted a Little Boy’s Tie around Easter and it got a great response. Many of you were interested in making a larger version and what better occasion to do so than Father’s Day which is on June 21st this year!
When I was growing up my dad wore a tie almost every day. But not the kind of ties you might expect. As an example; he had one, handmade by my mom, with flying eyeballs embroidered all over it. So when we decided to do a man’s tie for Father’s Day I knew I had to make it special, and not boring for my dad.
Liberty of London Tana Lawn seemed like the perfect fabric for the job. In addition to all of its amazing prints the Tana Lawn has a silk like feel that is perfect for a tie. But when I went to pick out the prints to use I couldn’t decide which ones seemed manly but not dull so I enlisted my dad’s help. He helped to pick out the three prints.
I think the end product is a perfect Father’s Day present. It’s so easy and fun to make that you might find yourself making one for all the men in your life, and then maybe making one for yourself. This is also a great present for recent grads who might need a tie for job hunting. And it could certainly come in handy if you’re planning a wedding as well.
Perhaps, now that I’ve mastered the basic shape, I will embroider some flying eyeballs on them but that might be a bit much? Happy Father’s Day!– Molly
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Molly Schnick. Click here to see even more of Molly’s work!
The Materials
To make one 55 1/2-inch long by 3-inch wide (at it’s widest point) tie. (You could actually make two if you cut carefully. If you’re planning on making more than two there is no need to get more interfacing- the amount of interfacing should suffice for at least four ties.):
- 3/4-yard Liberty of London Tana Lawn
- 1/4-yard Quilters Muslin in White
- 1 1/2-yards Heavyweight Sew-in Interfacing
- 1 yard light weight fusible interfacing
- 100% cotton thread to match the Tana Lawn
- One Father’s Day Tie pattern, available free here, printed out and assembled. (This is a corrected version of this pattern. If you downloaded the pattern before April 6th, 2011 you have an older version, so please download it again.)
Cutting
Please note that this tie is slightly shorter than a standard 57-inch long tie. To make it longer you can add the desired additional length between the M1 and M2 neck pieces, and the Interfacing pieces #14 and #15 before you tape the pattern together.
Cut out the Front, Back and Middle Pieces on the bias. Below is an easy, fool proof method of cutting on the bias (but please keep in mind that your pattern shape will be slightly different than the one in the pictures below.)
Cut the 27-inch x 54-inch piece of Tana Lawn in half length-wise to create two 27-inch squares.
Take one of these squares and fold it in half diagonally as shown above and press it. This diagonal line is the bias fold.
Pin the pattern piece down to the fabric matching the side of the pattern that says “fold” to the fold of the fabric. Cut out your piece.
After you have cut out your front, middle and back pieces unfold them. The front and middle pieces will have two points, like an M shape on one end, while the middle piece will have this M shape at both ends.
You will need to cut these points in a specific way. Start with the front piece. Place it right side facing up. You will be cutting off the right hand point. Place a ruler along the inside edge of the left hand point and across the right side of the piece, extending the angle of the left point, as shown above.
Cut off the right hand point along this angle. You will have a roughly 45-degree angled edge that points to the left.
In this same manner cut the other two pieces with the following orientations. (It is very important that the points face in the correct direction.):
- For the middle piece cut the first end with the point facing to the left. Then rotate the piece 180-degrees and cut the other end so the point is pointing to the right. You will end up with a trapezoid shape as pictured above on the far left.
- For the end piece cut the M shaped end so the point is pointing to the right as pictured above on the far right.
Then cut out the Tie Interfacing piece from the heavy sew in interfacing and the front and back lining pieces from the muslin. All together here are the piece you will have:
- 1- Tana Lawn Tie Front
- 1- Tana Lawn Tie Middle
- 1- Tana Lawn Tie End
- 1- Tie Interfacing Piece
- 1- Front Tie Lining
- 1- Back Tie Lining
Sewing the Front, Middle and Back
Iron the middle crease out of the front back and middle pieces. Place them wrong side up and close together, but not overlapping, on the ironing board. Lay the light weight fusible interfacing right side up (fusible side down) on top of the pieces. Set your iron to the synthetic setting and iron the interfacing to the fabric. You will probably iron the interfacing on to your ironing board too at this point but it’s easy to peel it off and you can use a press cloth if you’re worried about damaging your ironing board cover.
Cut the interfacing around the front, middle, and back pieces. The pieces will now be much stiffer.
Using a water soluble pen or a regular pencil draw a line 1/4-inch in from each of the angled edges of all three pieces. Mark it on both the front of the piece and the back. Orient your pieces as shown above: the front piece at the bottom, the middle piece with its points facing to the right and the back piece at the top with its point facing down and to the left.
With the right sides together match up the marked lines ad pin the pieces together as shown above. This marked line will be your sew line.
Sew across both marked lines and then press the tie flat. You can trim the edges a bit if it didn’t line up perfectly.
Adding the Front and Back Lining
Iron the tie and both lining pieces in half lengthwise to get a crease. This will help to line everything up properly.
From the Front Tie Lining, fold the bottom tip up 1/4-inch and press it.
Fold the bottom sides of the lining in 1/4-inch each and press them into place. This will form a neat point at the bottom angle of the lining.
Repeat this step for the Back Lining.
Fold the bottom edges of the Front tie in 1/4 and press them into place.
Fold the tip up 1/4-inch press it, and then fold in the sides to a neat point and press it again, as you did above with the lining pieces.
Repeat this step for the back of the tie.
Place the Front Lining on top of the Front Tie end, wrong sides together. Make sure that the lining is contained within the borders of the end of the tie as shown above. It should be a little bit smaller than the tie end.
Pin the Lining in place
Sew the folded edges of the lining onto the tie end with a slip stitch. Sew only through the folded layer of the Tana Lawn and interfacing- Do not sew though to the front of the tie. This is very similar to sewing on the binding of a quilt.
Please click here if you need a more in depth explanation of slip stitch.
It’s not necessary to sew the top of the lining, it will get enclosed within in the shaping of the tie.
Repeat the same steps to sew on the Back Lining.
Shaping the Tie
Fold in edges of the long sides 1/4-inch and press into place.
Fold again 1/4-inch and press.
Fold both edges in so they meet at the crease in the center of the tie and press.
Open up the sides and slip your interfacing in as pictured above. It should fit snugly inside the tie. You may have to trim it slightly to get it to fit.
Now it’s time to close up the tie. Refold the edges, press them again and pin into place.
Sew Tie
The inside seam of your tie will be sewn by hand.
Please Note: I used red thread for the following steps, but only so the technique would be more visible. At home you should use thread that matches your fabric.
Tack the point where the two edges meet a few times before you start your seam.
The tie is sewn up with a different type of slip stitch than was used for sewing the lining:
- Start from the tack run your needle through the fold on the left side and come out about 1/2-inch above.
- Insert your needle directly across from where you came out into the right side and slide it up though the fold for a 1/2-inch.
- Then enter the left side directly across from where you exited the right side.
- Repeat
Once you do this a few times you will have a little ladder of stitches as shown above.
- Pull the stitches taut and they will almost disappear.
- When you get to the end of your length of thread take a couple of tacking stitches but this time sew though the interfacing as well, while making sure not to sew though to the front of the tie, which will hold the interfacing in place.
Sew the entire inside seam of the tie in this way.
Once you’re done, press the tie thoroughly to get rid of the middle seam and you’ll be finished! Enjoy! –Molly
Update on June 19, 2009
Please note: We have revised the tie pattern template a bit. The new pattern is available for download, for free, here as well as in the “Materials” section above. If you downloaded the pattern before April 6, 2011 should re-download the new version. Thanks so much for all your comments- they’ve really helped us improve the pattern!– Molly
Hi, this is a follow up question to my previous comment. If I wanted to widen the tie, say an inch, would I add 1/2″ to each side of interlining and 1″ to each side of the front & back pieces (since it’s going to be folded to the center?).
Hi Maureen-
I’m not sure you’ll still need to add width but if you do you should add the width to each long side, say 1/2 inch to each side. Please let us know if you need any more help.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Thank you! You’ve provided easy to follow, clear instructions on how to make a tie, and pattern pieces. I will bookmark your page for easy reference. Looking at the steps, I feel confident that my project will turn out fantastic!
Gracias por su anuncio.
Very nice pattern. How about one for a bow tie….after all “bow ties are cool” (11th Doctor). My son is 20, has never worn a tie before, but chose to wear a bow tie the only time he had to wear one. I’d like to be able to make him some. Your directions are very clearly written and nice pictures. Keep up the good work.
Hi, thank you for the pattern, but I’m a bit confused. In the first paragraph you say I can make the length of the tie longer by adding pieces M1 and M2 between Interfacing 14 & 15. This just makes the interfacing longer, not the tie. The M1 and M2 pieces don’t seam to fit anywhere else on the tie. Help!
Hi Helen-
You can add length between M1 and M2. They are the middle pieces and they are cut from the fabric, not the interfacing- they go around the neck. I hope this makes sense. Please let me know if you have any more questions!
Molly
Hi there,
I’m a bit confused because in the materials list you say you need two type of interfacing but I can only see in the instructions that you use lightweight fusible. Have I missed something (wouldn’t be surprised if I had!) ?
Hi Rachel-
You use the heavyweight interfacing in the “shaping the tie” section. But you could make a great tie without using the heavier interfacing at all especially if you are using fabric that is thicker than the (very lightweight) Tana Lawn.
Thanks for getting in touch and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Best-
Molly
Hi! I’m a bit late to the tie party, but I just found this tutorial and want to make my husband a tie out of an old Harris Tweed blazer. A couple of questions:
1) Do I need any interfacing at all since it’s a heavier fabric?
2) Any tips on finding the bias when the fabric will be cut out of an existing garment?
Thanks for the tutorial and any direction you may have on the tweed tie idea.
PS I made a Myrtle turtle over the weekend, as well as some baby bonnets…they turned out great! I love all the projects you post!
Hi Shannon-
Great!
1- No, you probably don’t need either interfacing.
2- Just make sure to cut out the end pieces first so they look the best.
This sounds like a great idea! Please let us know how it turns out and let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
I’m normally a lurker rather than a commenter, but I just wanted to say a huge thankyou for this pattern and tutorial – the tie worked out brilliantly! Thanks so much, Laura
Hi Laura-
Thank you so much. I’m so glad that this worked out for you!
Best-
Molly
Can I use cotton fabric to make the neck tie, or do I have to use silk and or satin?
Hi, Pamela!
Thank you for writing in! You can totally use a cotton fabric to make the neck tie, we used Liberty of London’s Tana Lawn which is 100% cotton. The Tana Lawn is a lightweight cotton and I recommend sticking with a lightweight or quilting weight cotton for this pattern. If you have further questions please let us know!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
Thank you so much for these instructions and pattern!
I’ll try to make a tie for my husband, I’ve got some beautiful dark grey jacquard fabric left, I’ll see how it goes 🙂
Hi Molly!
I’ve made two gorgeous ties so far and I’m planning on making some more for gifts out of some great shark print fabric. However, so far, the pieces I’ve cut out have had crooked sides. I was wondering if my pieces are all supposed to have straight edges, or if they’re supposed to dip somewhere in the middle.
Apologies if this has been asked already. There are a lot of comments! Thanks in advance 🙂
JB
I need help troubleshooting this pattern. It keeps going together crooked/wonky. I’ve stitched it and unstitched in 4 times now and it still isn’t working.
Also, I’m unsure why you have an “interface” pattern piece in the PDF when the instructions here state to lay the interface over all of the pattern pieces and fuse it, then re-cut. It’s just a waste of paper and time.
Hi Lady – thank you for writing in. We are so sorry to hear your tie is giving you a headache! Can you give us more details about why the sewing isn’t working for you?
In terms of the interface pattern – we created a PDF of the interface piece so as to minimize the amount of fabric that is treated. Some sewers prefer to only interface the necessary amount of fabric and save the rest for other projects, especially when we are working with something as lovely as Liberty of London! But as with all things crafty, your sewing is your own and if interfacing the entire piece is easier for you – we say, go for it!
Thanks and let us know how we can help with troubleshooting!
Keith
I know this is is MONTHS after your comment.
I like to draw out the pattern in the back of the interface, cut around the drawn line about an inch around, iron it to the back of the fabric and then cut on the line.
This insures that the fabric is as cut as precisely as you can without have to cut everything twice and accidentally ironing the interface to the ironing board.
I do agree that the instructions may be a little confusing since they show one with the iron-on interface on the whole fabric then the other images with a different tie (has different fabric) with the no-sew interface only in the center area.
I’ve started this tie and I’m a little confused, where is the “tie end piece”? I didn’t see it on the pattern.
Hi Emily,
Thanks for writing in! The template for the tie end piece is on the 7th and 8th pages of the pattern template. If you downloaded the pattern before April 6th, 2011 you have an older version, so please download it again.
Best of luck on your tie!
Cassy
I had a couple of problems following the pattern, even after updates. In the instructions and photos, it seems like you want us to iron fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the entire pieces (the comment about fusing to our ironing board), but we’ve cut out narrower strips of interfacing to just fill the inside of the tie. Also, you gave us instructions for where to add length to the middle of the tie, but not how to add length to the interfacing. In addition, the shapes in the pattern for the “lining” pieces aren’t exactly shaped right – the angle of the point doesn’t match the angle of the tie. I had to do some futzing to get them to match.
Hello, Alice!
Thank you for writing in! You are correct, you will be ironing fusible interfacing to the wrong sides of the entire pieces. However, the interfacing that you will be using for this step is the lightweight fusible interfacing. The interfacing that you have cut and will be placing inside the tie in the “Shaping the Tie” section is the Heavyweight Sew-In interfacing.
Regarding the instructions for adding length, you can add length between M1 and M2. They are the middle pieces and they are cut from the fabric, not the interfacing- they go around the neck – so, you don’t need the interfacing here.
Finally, the lining piece should be smaller than the tie so that it can be contained within the borders of the end of the tie. It should be a little bit smaller than the tie end. Is this what you meant by the shapes not being right?
Please let us know if you have further questions! Again, thank you for writing in!
Best,
Kumeko
Great explanation. I feel like this also clarifies Rachel’s confusion and Lady’s question. This is a great pattern and the steps are important to follow. I could see that my pattern started to go a little off kilter because I didn’t tape the pieces together evenly. So the pattern started to turn, instead of being straight. The questions have all helped me to make a better tie! Your pattern is top notch.
Thanks
Jody
Hi
Thanks so much for this tutorial, it looks great. I’ve just printed out the pattern pieces and I’m having a little troubled sticking them together. For example, for the tie front, if I line up the pieces so the fold line is straight it means the other side isnt straight. In particular, piece F3 seems to have a slight curve on the non-condensing side. Is this right or should all of the pieces be straight on both sides?
Thanks
Gemma
Hi Gemma,
Thanks for writing in! I am sorry to hear about your difficulties. Both sides should be straight. I have made this tie recently and did not have an issue with the template. I would suggest trying to print it again and seeing if you are getting the same issue. If you are, you could use a straight edge to draw the line straight and true up the line. You should get a good result from that!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hi! Thank you for posting this! Is there a video to also show how to do this? Or do you have any videos you suggest for tie making if you personally don’t have one?
Hi Kelsey,
Thanks for writing in! We do not have a video for this project and I am not aware of one by anyone else. If you are having difficulty with the pattern we are happy to try and help!
Best,
Cassy
Hi, thanks for the tutorial! I made the tie but it came out tiny! Do I need to blow the pattern up? I printed it on a4 paper.
Thanks!
Hello Kristy!
Thank you for writing in! You are right, you’ll need to blow the pattern-up. If your current setting is A4, you’ll want to choose US Legal.
Please let us know if you have any more questions!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
Hello, the F3 pattern piece seems to have a slightly curved edge but in your photos it appears the piece is straight. Is there a mistake in the pattern? I notice someone else posted about this but you said the pattern is straight. You can plainly see just by looking at the pattern that it is not. I’m don’t know if I should cut this piece straight or with the curve, could you please help?
Hi Megan,
Thanks for writing in! I have just printed and cut out the pattern and was unable to recreate the curve that you are speaking of. There should not be a curve and if the pattern is printing with a curve, I would suggest that you cut the piece straight. I’ll try again on another printer and computer to be confirm what might be happening with the printing.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
What should my printer settings be to correctly print this out. I printed it out on 8.5″ x 11″ and it came out to be 8 pages but looks like it would make a tiny tiny tie.
Also, what length does the tie end up being when all said and done?
Thank you so much! (making 6 of these for my wedding next month using Liberty Print Tana Lawn)
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for writing in and best of luck on your wedding crafting! Your printer should be set to 100% to print this pattern properly. The finished dimensions of this tie are 55 1/2-inch long by 3-inch wide. This is slightly shorter than a standard 57-inch long tie. To make it longer you can add the desired additional length between the M1 and M2 neck pieces, and the Interfacing pieces #14 and #15 before you tape the pattern together.
I hope that this helps and happy sewing!
Cassy
I don’t really understand what you mean by set your printer to 100%. Do I need to print on legal size paper or regular 8.5″ x 11″?
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for writing back! You will be printing on 8.5″ x 11″ paper. Generally your printer is set to print at 100% but sometimes it will size things down to fit the page. So when you go to print and the print window comes up, just check to be sure that it is set to print at 100% and that it is not scaling things down!
Best,
Cassy
Thanks Cassy. I also had the same problems, F3 has a curve and it won’t line up straight, even with 100% on 8.5×11 setting. I want to also mention that all pieces don’t line up exactly, they’re about 2mm off from each other. I don’t know why I have this problem. I can also see the F3 curve on the computer PDF file. Please let me know what I can do. Thanks!
Hi Iris,
Thanks for writing in! This is a very early pattern of ours and it is far from perfect. At present we are looking into re-working it or removing it if that is not possible. We do feel like the pattern is achievable as is, if you true it up with a ruler but that it certainly doesn’t meet our current standards for excellence. Thank you very much for reminding us of where we began and how far we’ve come!
Best,
Cassy
thank you very much for the great instructions for making the tie , i already had a good idea but i am so glad i downloaded this instead of trying to do it for i think maybe it would of been funny looking …again thank you …
Is there a alternative for interfacing like elastic or maybe wire or string or maybe even just fabric
Hi Khaddy,
Unfortunately there really is not an alternative to interfacing, it really helps the fabric maintain its shape.
I hope this helps,
Melissa
Best example and directions on making a tie that I have found. I looked at a lot. You are answering my questions. Thank you !
I have a narrow piece of fabric from a formal dress. It’s not wide enough to cut the fabric on the bias. It also has a little stretch to it. Have you done one out of something like this or not cut on the bias and it turned out ok?
Hi Heather,
Thanks for writing in! In general, neck ties are cut on the bias because this helps them lie flat and stay wrinkle free when worn. Even if your fabric has some stretch, bias cut pieces still tend to behave differently and you may find that the tie twists or loses its shape if it is worn for a long period of time. If you don’t have other plans for the fabric, however, it can’t hurt to give it a try!
Best of luck and I hope that helps!
Julianna
When you mention “heavy interfacing” do you mean buckram?
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately I think buckram would be a bit too stiff for a tie. We no longer carry the original sew-in interfacing we used for this pattern, so I would suggest using Decor Bond Heavy Fusible Interfacing without fusing it in place. This should give the tie a nice structure without making it overly stiff!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi, thank you for the amazing tutorial. As a few of the girls before me, I also noticed, that one side of the F3 pattern piece is slightly curved. I can see this on my screen, I haven’t even printed it out. Do you mind checking it? I don’t want to cut the fabric only to realise that there’s something wrong with the pattern.
Thank you!
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for reaching out! This is a very early pattern of ours and it is far from perfect. At present we are looking into re-working it or removing it if that is not possible. If you would like to use the pattern, we suggest using a ruler or straight edge to true up the curved edge of the F3 piece – the pattern should still work well with that small adjustment. We do apologize that this template is not up to our usual standards and hope you can understand!
Best,
Julianna
I am still confused is it possible to do one with the regular size please?
Hi Shamara,
Thanks for writing in! The pattern above is for an adult sized tie. If you would like to make the child sized tie, you can find it on our Little Boy’s Tie story.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Hi! I have just stumbled across this! I am fairly new to sewing so this may be a silly question!
I am after a skinny tie pattern but can’t seem to find one! Do you have one or is there an easy way of changing the pattern pieces on this to make them accurate as a skinny tie?
Thank you!
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for reaching out! We don’t have a pattern for a skinny tie, but I think you could easily modify this pattern to make one! After printing and assembling our pattern, you can adjust the angle of the outside edge of the tie on all three pieces to make it as wide or narrow as you like.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi – I used your instructions before and was hoping to re-use them to make another tie but the links to the pictures seem to be broken – any idea why? Thanks!
Hi Simon,
Thank you so much for getting in touch! Unfortunately, we are experiencing some technical difficulties with the images on some of our older projects like this one. Our web team is aware of the problem, however, and is hard at work to fix it! The images should be back within the next few days, but if they still aren’t here, please reach out to us at customerservice@purlsoho.com!
Best,
Julianna
Im not sure if it’s just iPhones but the sample pictures to show step by step instructions aren’t loading or have been removed.
Hi Liz,
Thank you so much for getting in touch! Unfortunately, we are experiencing some technical difficulties with the images on some of our older projects like this one. Our web team is aware of the problem, however, and is hard at work to fix it! The images should be back within the next few days, but if they still aren’t here, please reach out to us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.
All the best,
Julianna
Hi there, I’m really excited to try out this tie, but it seems all the images have disappeared. Is there any chance they’re going to be re-uploaded?
Thanks!
Hi Charlotte,
Thank you so much for getting in touch! Unfortunately, we are experiencing some technical difficulties with the images on some of our older projects like this one. Our web team is aware of the problem, however, and will be restoring the images as soon as they can!
All the best,
Julianna
That’s great news! I’ll keep checking back.
Thank you!
Charlotte
Hi, I can’t see the photos! Any chance they will be back? C
Hi Claire,
Thanks for reaching out! We’re noticing some issues on our website because of a recent update and are still working out some residual kinks. We’re aware of this problem now and are urgently looking into it, so thank you for bringing this to our attention! I’m sure this is frustrating, so we appreciate your patience as we troubleshoot in the meantime. We hope to have the photos back up again soon!
All the best,
Gianna
I am having the same difficulty with the photos not appearing! I am desperate to find a tie pattern that does not have me dizzy! I bought a commercial pattern, but have torn it apart three times! I am not new to sewing, but this is nuts! The ties I made in the 70s were easy. Where is that pattern? I have to make 10 ties for all the men in a family using silk from a departed loved one’s Sari. I can’t mess up! Pictures, please!! (I have used your knitting patterns — love them!)
Hi Tasia,
Thanks for reaching out! We’re noticing some issues on our website because of a recent update and are still working out some problems with missing images. We’re aware of this problem and are urgently looking into it. I’m sure this is frustrating, so we appreciate your patience as we troubleshoot to locate the missing images. We hope to have the photos back up again soon!
All the best,
Gianna
I see that a number of people have reached out regarding the photos. The pattern also does not lead anywhere for me. Thank you for providing this project, I hope you can fix the bugs!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for writing in! We just got this fixed! The photos and the page are back up and running! The pattern is available on the page as well.
All the best,
Gianna
Will this pattern work with a plaid? I’m concerned about the piecing together of the different sections.
Hi KP,
Thanks for reaching out! I think you could certainly use plaid for this pattern, I would just suggest being mindful when you cut the pieces out!
Happy crafting!
Gianna
Is seam allowance already included in the pattern? I’m a beginner so I don’t know what the standard is for seam allowance.
Hi Maxime,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, the seam allowance is already incorporated into the pattern. For this project you’ll be folding the edges and pressing them, which will set up your work for all the stitching and closing up at the end of the pattern. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat