Creative articles about sewing

Sewing silk accessories from worn-out ties (Upcycling project)

Dear community,
in this blog post you can find detailed instructions for sewing silk accessories from worn-out ties – the perfect upcycling project.

Sewing silk accessories from worn-out ties (Upcycling project)

Three last minutes: Silk accessories!

With only one more week to Christmas, why not enhance that one dress or beautiful blouse with silk accessories? You can’t get more christmassy than this!

I can hardly resist the temptation of diving into the box of ties at a thrift store. I love the luxurious look of silk ties with their beautiful designs. Once I made a belt pouch with ties. Just look at this handy pouch on my Instagram channel.

How nice is it to able to re-use ties, this time as a finishing touch for Christmas! 

I went to work with this colourful collection.

Obi sash

The fastest thing to make is this obi sash. I saw this in the window of a nice boutique not long ago, priced at €25. My first thought was that I could easily make it myself. In the absence of real Christmas ties with Christmas trees or Santa figures, I chose these brightly coloured ones. Get creative!

The principle is simple. Take two ties and join them together… And that’s it! Now you have a long belt that you can wear wrapped twice around your waist, with a casual button on the front. Easy peasy!

Step by step

  1. I used tacking thread to indicate the angle within which the top tie should fall. I pinned one side of this tie to the other tie.
  2. I then used my sewing machine and blind hem foot 5 to stitch it together. 
  3. I sewed the second side by hand.
  4. I folded the upper tie around the lower one.
  5. I sewed the underside again by hand.
  6. The ties are attached to each other. They are ready to be used as an obi sash. And the cost was just €1.80!!

Bracelet, necklace, scarf and/or belt?

For the second project, I used this polka-dot tie and two bracelets. I made a belt that can also be worn as a scarf, and a bracelet that can also be worn as a necklace. There are so many choices! 

The principle for both (or actually all four) is the same. For the belt, I used the wide end of the tie, and for the bracelet, I used the narrow part. 

Step by step

  1. I used the bracelet to make a kind of buckle, by pulling a strip of fabric (in this case, a piece of the tie) very tightly over the bracelet.
  2. First measure the size. I used a pin to mark where I had to stitch. 
  3. Unfold, pin and stitch the sides.
  4. Cut away some of the interfacing of the tie.
  5. Fold back the unfolded sides. First on one side…
  6. and then on the other. Now sew the hem in place with a few stitches.
  7. Slide over the bracelet with the seam to the inside.
  8. Stitch one end between the ‘buckle’.
  9. Now it’s ready to wear!

You can also use a different fabric for the ‘buckle’

Belt & bracelet

(Choker) chain & belt

Scarf & bracelet

Cummerbund and braces

These ties are extremely festive!

The last one is perhaps the fanciest, but also the most time-consuming to make. I simply love it! It’s super festive! This number three is inspired by the dinner jacket and the dungarees I made recently. I first made the cummerbund  (Yes, I also had to find out exactly what this was called.) 

Step by step

  1. Just as in the case of the obi sash, I joined the two ties together at the front. Then I determined the length and cut the ties. The ties are not of the same width.
  2. I made the wider tie narrower by narrowing the interfacing and then folding the sides around it. 
  3. With the narrow tie, I only cut a strip of interfacing to get a nice finish. I fixed both ends by hand.
  4. For the closure, I attached three bra hooks.

Braces

I fixed the braces to the cummerbund by hand. At about 9 cm from the centre, I attached them to the inside of the front. After attaching this, I had to fit it to determine where I would attach them at the back. For me, this came to about 7 cm from the centre at the back. Where the braces cross, I attached them with a few stitches. This is to prevent any possible sagging. 

It’s a pity that Christmas only lasts two days. I have a choice of three outfits this year! Which would you choose?

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and see what I’ll be wearing this Christmas ;-).

Happy holidays!

Marlies (@madebyliesl)

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