Mirror Mirror....

Thanks to Pinterest (God, I could spend HOURS on that site!), I've found some tie projects that I hadn't seen previously.
Laura, of Dishfunctional Designs, posted about these amazing decoupaged mirrors by Podged on Etsy.

Sadly, I can't find an active link to Podged, so if anyone knows, please give me a heads up.

Laura posted more awesome ideas which I will discuss in future posts.
Yes, I am determined to get back to regular updating of this blog.

Unique Quilt

Gorgeous tie quilt I saw on eBay. The seller described it as "...It looks like it was made in the 1950's or 1960's from the ties that had gone out of fashion at that point...The backing is white cotton, and the face is entire made of ties"/ "...It measures approximately 46" square" The seller claims it was purchased "about 20 years ago from Jon Lundberg's Vintage Men's Haberdashery, which used to be located in Kensington California."/

Card Tutorial

There's a tutorial on how to make an envelope for a small card from a necktie, on the Urban Threads website.
Urban Threads sells unique and modern embroidery designs, both hand and machine styles.

Upcycled Necktie Rugs

One great way to recycle old neckties is to make rugs.


Dreamweavers’ "Executive" rug made from upcycled silk blend ties saved from the cutting floor.
See color selections here
According to Lifestyles Furniture's website, "Who said going green couldn’t look good? One of our best selling rugs, The Executive is thickly plush, with deep softness provided by its unique pile. The mix of silks and polyester fabrics are upcycled neckties. Each piece of our Executive rug is cut and sewn by hand, filled with hypo-allergenic poly filling, pieced together and backed with a non-slip action backing. The rug is stain-resistant, colorfast and 100% machine washable"
This article by Attic Mag talks about the Dreamweaver necktie rugs, along with rugs made from recycled tee shirts, belts, and shoelaces!

I've written previous posts about rugs that are listed in the sidebar, but I'll re-post the links here for easier reference
Woven rug

Another by Weaver Girl

A floor runner that I would love to learn how to make

Rag rugs by Sandy Voss

Braided rug how-to

Circular rug by Maylina


Another by Eileen

I'm not able to pull the photo, but the patchwork mat by Stephanie of Little Birds could be made with neckties.
If you're worried about wear and tear on silks and polyesters, you could maybe encase the mat in clear vinyl.
An idea anyway.

Steampunk Corset Dress

Fun corset dress costume by Erica Young
Tutorial on Instructables

Google is tied up

Fun image on Google today, for Father's Day.
To read more about how Google artists interpret holidays and special events, see this article from CBS news

Read all about it

Pretty exciting--this blog was mentioned in an online story by Associated Press writer Jennifer Forker
find it here

Let there be Light

Nancy Gamon made this unique lampshade--such a fun idea, and quite attractive too!

You can find her designs in her Etsy shop (including embellished neckties, scarves and headbands made from neckties, and more)

Extraordinary Quilt

Absolutely amazing quilt made by Stacey of
Peppermint Pinwheels, she calls this quilt Silk Orange Peel.
(flickr link)

Stacey says, "The tie silks I used were actually either samples or remnants from a factory that made neck-ties. They weren't ever finished into ties, but were about 4-1/2" by 12" (app.) pieces.
To make the quilt I used a paper-piecing technique, but used muslin instead of paper to add stability. I also used a pattern by quilt-maker Karen K. Stone."

I noticed that Karen Stone suggests using scraps from neckties and the paper-piecing technique in at least two of her patterns:
Enticement

and
Untitled

A new take on a dress from ties

Nina said she was inspired by this site (thank you!), and made this gorgeous dress.
She even won second place in a recycled fashion contest!

Woven chair seat

"Un-tie" Chair, by Peter Raphael Russo (2009)
Walnut, birch plywood, neckties

Wearable Ties

Christine's dress, as seen on Kira's Crafty Life

Woven bodice dress by Denise Applegate-Schober

I adore this one, but couldn't find any information about it other than it's linked (in a goodgle search) with I'll Fly AwayI later found the image on Flickr.
The photographer's sister Alison made the dress.
She says, "The main part of the dress was made from a pattern and then the flounce was replaced with a collection of ties. Dress itself has invisible zipper in the back and is fully lined and has light boning. I collected the ties in shades of blues to match the main part of the dress.The fabric was a roll end which was going cheap"

More Quilt Designs

Necktie Quilts.
Click on highlighted text for more information

Art Quilt by Jana Morgan.She describes it as "men's neckties, hand-dyed fabrics, thread and yarn on canvas"
and "This piece is made up mostly of men's neckties that I wove into a thick fabric, hand-stitched together with other hand-dyed fabrics, cut into squares, reconstructed into a grid, stitched to canvas and drew over with machine stitching. I invested months of meandering, free-associative stitching into this painting / crazy quilt. Both the long process and the final form reflect my personal response to / map of the flows and restrictions of everyday life (daily driving) in Los Angeles"

"Tied to Thad", String Quilt by Martha Herbert

Striped ties quilt by Cheryl Gerhart

Quilt from her boyfriend's ties, by Feng Shui by Fishgirl

"Leo's Ties of a Life", as posted on Offenburger

Unique pattern (click on image to enlarge) that was in a quilt show in Hemet, 2008, called "Preacher Bill's Ties", by Glenda Alexander (I saw it posted on Threads in Time)

Memory Quilt by Donna Sinrud

Photoshop Ops

From a Photoshop contest a couple of years ago, featured on Freaking News.

"Toward the Threadbare"

I totally screwed up and forgot to post this while it was current.
I so apologize.
The photographs, however, are still inspirational.

An art installation using ties appeared at the Janice Charach Epstein Gallery in West Bloomfield, Michigan, October 17 through December 17 of last year.

San Francisco artist Isaac Amala contacted me about the exhibition, saying it was a collaborative effort featuring new sculptural installations by himself and artist Liz Simpson.
I posted about another of their installations previously.

He said, "Neckties, idiosyncratic in design and personality, are normally viewed independently of one another.
As cultural objects, they bring to mind the world of professionalism, formality, conservatism and business.
In our current body of work, we examine the necktie as formal material rather than formal wear.
While we don't necessarily aim to strip the ties of their popular associative weight, or their distinct, secret histories, we seek to better understand and ultimately reveal their properties.
Organized into gradients, the neckties become agents of the painting process.
As building blocks, they function much like tapered pixels - bridging micro- and m
acro-narratives, embracing the tension between the individual parts and the sum total. Our collaborative practice continues to develop site-specific configurations - exploring numerous architectural, physical and psychological intersections that our matierals and each new space present."







You can read more about the artist's work on their blog, issac & liz.

Tie Clock!

I love it when readers send me links!
Heather (no blog link given) gave me a heads up about this fun clock by Candian Design Resource.
There are so many great ideas out there!

Circular Quilt

Karen, of Quilt Luver, sent me a photo of another quilt she posted about previously.
This quilt (more like a wall hanging) was at a show in Durand, Michigan.
No information is available about the creator.
It's fun to see the different variations of patterns that people choose with ties.
This round pattern is popular in rugs too.

Bowtie Quilt Pattern

I would credit the quilt maker if I knew more information, but this image is shared from another blog, in a post about the Kalamazoo Quilt Show.
Thanks to Quilt Luver for her post, and Amy for giving me the heads up.

I've seen other necktie quilts made in the bowtie pattern, but I really like the design in this one.
Note the fringe of ties at the lower edge.

No-sew Wreath idea

Michaels is having a contest for making a do-it-yourself holiday project.
Winners can receive $100 gift certificates to Michaels stores, with the grand prize a trip to New York to see the Martha Stewart show.

I was on the Michaels website looking through the gallery, and this necktie wreath, submitted by Katie W. of Decatur, Georgia, caught my eye.
No sewing is required.

Project Description:
Dad's old neckties can be beautifully transformed into this timeless family treasure!

Materials:
One foam wreath form (sizes vary)
Sewing or floral stick pins
One necktie for every inch your wreath measures, plus one extra (ie: if your wreath is 14", you'll need 15 ties)

"Ties to the Past" Quilt

My mom and I recently attended a Quilt Show put on by the Kaleidoscope Quilt Guild of Lemon Grove.

I was blown away by a necktie quilt by Rita Anaya.
Ms. Anaya was kind enough to send me a photo of her quilt, since my camera was recently stolen.
There is a label on the back of the quilt that tells about it, and includes some of the interesting labels off the tie backs.

She said, "The ties belonged to my Dad who lived here in San Diego and some from my uncle who lived in Texas. Both passed away several years ago."

The wonderful thing about necktie quilts is the emotional layers, including a layer of whimsy in fun fabrics, a layer as a time capsule, and a layer of remembrance.
Often, necktie quilts are memorial or mourning quilts.
Necktie quilts tell a story--of the year the ties were made and the prevalent styles and colors of that time, and they also tell of the people who wore these ties...and how they were important to us.

Ties Quilt

Stephanie, at Make It a Wonderful Life, posted this fun quilt made for her father-in-law, from his large collection of ties.

Ties Font!

There's a fun font available that makes letters out of neckties.
See the info on the blog 973 Third Avenue.

Cool Shirt

(click on image to enlarge)

I wish I could find a better photo, but I am really intrigued by Ade's shirt (bottom right, the red shirt).
This is the top ten of So You Think You Can Dance, by the way.

But this shirt appears to be embellished with a tie as a vertical element down the front, and the collar also seems to be edged in the tie.
I'd love to know who designed this.

Methods and Ideas

Lots of ideas for using parts of ties in your sewing project, posted on my purse blog today.

What a fun idea

Reupholster a switchplate!
Idea from Craftzine

Tutorial on Eco-artware

Make a Pillow from Neckties

Tutorial by Carol Sews

Make a purse from neckties

I have another blog that is devoted to making purses.
Every two months or so, I post a challenge and ask readers to make a bag according to a theme.
There's no prize involved or anything, it's just for fun.
Too, my aim is to get people to think outside the box, to try new skills, new textures, new materials.

The current challenge is to make a purse using neckties.
I will be posting a lot of ideas.
More information at The Purse Project.

Dye eggs with Silk Neckties

Since it's almost Easter, I thought I'd repost about Necktie Eggs (original post from my Woof Nanny blog)

Vintage Lilac posted about this idea from Martha Stewart.
There's a video tutorial on Martha (if it doesn't link, search "Silk-Tie Easter Eggs")
Monogram Momma also has a tutorial.

I got together with my friend Jen, and we dyed Easter Eggs using pieces of silk neckties.

It was so much fun unwrapping the fabric packages to see what magic was inside!
Definitely an oohs and aahs moment.

Look at the lily!


Three of the eggs didn't color, because one tie was polyester (oops), and the other two were hand-marbled designs in swirled colors. Perhaps somehow the colors had been permanently set, so the design didn't transfer.


We'll have to find ways to best wrap the eggs, because where the fabric folds or pleats, the egg remains white.
It was really easy though, really fun, and we'll definitely do it again next year!

Necktie Valentines

This fun idea is from Craft Stylish (thanks to Cindy for sending me the tutorial link)

Glam Frocks

Fun dress from the Junky Styling show at last year's London Fashion Week, as seen on Treehugger (I only now found the photo).
"This strapless dress was made of men's ties and tartan, sewn together, into a long gown with a swishy skirt."

And some amazing designs were showcased on WhipUp (thanks Aimee for the link).
Etsy seller Glamarita makes ball gowns from men's ties