my first attempt at a neck tie.

my brother tyler likes to wear ties and has collected quite a few over the years. he is a musician and has a great sense of style, so i wanted to give him something for christmas that he could wear for both his shows and his job. it took me quite a while because the process involves so many details, but i am pretty happy with the finished product. i took some pictures along the way:

first i made pattern pieces based on one of my dad's ties and pinned them on the fabric:

then i sewed the two main pieces together and pressed the seam open:

then i sewed on the tip pieces, wrong sides together, and flipped them to create the double layer and seam:

then i used my dad's tie as a pattern to cut pieces of interfacing for the inside of the tie. the interfacing helps the tie to keep its shape and add a little weight. it has an adhesive side, so i arranged it and ironed it on:

the part of the process that took the longest was pinning the back of the tie. it was very tedious! the sides are folded under to create a clean edge before sewing it closed with a hidden stitch.

after i sewed the back of the tie, i attached a keeper. the hidden stitch turned out really well!

after attaching the keeper, i ironed the tie, cleaned up all the thread tails, and after almost five hours, had a finished product:

(back)

(front)

the only thing i wish i could have done better is the front tip. it was difficult to get a crisp, sharp point, so it's slightly rounded. i sort of like it that way, but it's definitely a variation on the standard tie shape. i don't have any pictures of tyler wearing the tie, but he put it on as soon as he got it, and it looked really great on!

success.