Father and Son Matching Ties Tutorial

There are two great opportunities for a little matching Father-Son action that are quickly approaching: Easter and Father’s Day. Now, you don’t need an excuse to match, but it’s always fun where there are holidays on the horizon. You can make matching ties for the big and little man (men) in your life with a rather short amount of time at the sewing machine. In fact, once you get the tie pattern down, you might opt to make your own rather than gift purchased ties throughout the year! 

Materials 

• Kraft paper (for creating your pattern)
• 1 Yard of fashion fabric
• Coordinating Thread 

One big issue that sewers face is the struggle of creating a tie pattern. Now, the common mistake is to cut out two pieces in the shape of a tie. We’ll take a different approach here for much better results. 

Tie and Pattern Length 

Now, there is a massive amount of math that calculates the appropriate length of a tie. You can skip that and measure the length from tip to end of one of the father’s existing ties. 

For the little mister, you’re going to want to scale down your pattern by 1/3 or possibly, for much younger children, 1/2. Typically size charts just recommend a clip-on or zipper tie. This actually works well when you’re using a solid piece of 1 square yard because you’ll create the larger tie through the widest diameter of the fabric and then the smaller tie in the remaining fabric beneath the larger tie. 

It can help to keep in mind that a standard windsor knot requires about 5-inches of fabric. If you feel like the little one’s tie is super long, remember that a fair amount will be tied up. 

Creating Your Pattern 

If the father has a tie already, you can use it as a rough draft for making your pattern. On craft paper, loosely trace around the tie, and then flip the tie over, and trace a “second tie” with two of the long sides touching. The effect should look a bit wonky and a bit elongated. That’s okay! Now, this sketch is a draft version; you can’t just dive in and produce anything desirable. 

However, you will make two small adjustments that will finish it off. 

1. Add a 3/8-inch seam allowance around the entire perimeter of the pattern. 
2. Connect the small ends of the tie, or the top, so that they make one continuous line without any gaps. 

Cutting

When working with fashion fabric, which typically has a bias grain, you’ll definitely want to use a rotary cutting. Standard scissors can snag even promote fraying, which is a common problem in silky fabrics. Be sure to cut along the bias of the grain, except if you have a directional print; then you want that exactly as it “should” look. 

Cut your fabric, just as you made your pattern, with the two “ties” touching and cut it as one piece. 

Fold, Press, Sew 

Fold your cut piece so that it lays together with the right sides touching. Do the same for the smaller tie. Then, align the piece and press. Be extremely careful when pressing, considering that your fabric may be extremely sensitive to heat. This project is a great time to consider a heat protectant tool such as a pressing cloth. 

• Sew with a 3/8-inch seam allowance, leaving the small end open.
• Press the seam open.
• Trim the points. 
• Baste the raw edge of the top of the tie. 
• Fold the top in and sew closed with an invisible ladder stitch. 

Your ties should now be complete, but there are a few other things to keep in mind. First, it can be a great idea to use a waxed thread for hand stitching, especially when working with different materials. You may also want to steam the ties after finishing to give them a more polished look. 

GoldStar Tool

With Father’s Day coming up in the next few months, get ahead of the game and make your Father’s Day present from scratch! If you followed this tutorial, check out our other tutorials on our blog. If you need assistance purchasing a product, contact us today.