Fashion From Old Ties

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While you're ironing, you can also inspect each piece for imperfections. Some ties will have stickpin holes right smack in the middle, while others will have permanent stains . . . cut up the good parts of such "seconds" for patchwork projects.

Once you have a good selection of fabric pieces ready to be sewn, start your project. My most prized success is the luxurious silk skirt shown in the accompanying photos.

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE ONE

The materials needed to make the lovely garment are whole ties (the number will depend upon the width of the opened cravats and the size of the skirt-to-be), sharp scissors, a tape measure, a needle and thread, basting cotton, a yardstick, tailor's chalk, lining material, and waistband elastic (get the nonroll kind, 1/2" wide).

To start: Cut the triangular tips off each tie, decide how long you'll want the finished skirt to be, add 1 " to allow for the waistband and 2" for the hem, and cut each tie to the desired length. (Remove any excess fabric from the narrow ends, which will form the waist of the garment . . . the wide tips will eventually make up the hem.) Then arrange the colors and designs to suit your taste. Once you're certain of the order that you'll want the ties to appear in, it's a good idea to write it down.

Now this next part is very important! All ties—when they're made—are cut on the bias . . . that is, across the diagonal of the material's weave. This imparts a lot of "give" to the strip of cloth and will also make the skirt hahg beautifully and move fluidly, if the pieces are sewn together carefully!

To do the job right, lay two ties-one atop the other and with their "out" sides togetheron a flat surface. Smooth them until they're both perfectly straight, and then join them with pins. Now, use a yardstick and tailor's chalk to draw a line 1/2" from one edge, and baste the strips together ... run the basting 1/4" inside of your chalked mark. Next, remove the pins and sew the lengths together on the line, by hand, using a single—not a double—thread. Utilize a running stitch, and add one back stitch every inch or so to strengthen your seam. (Don't try to sew the ties together on a sewing machine . . . the different materials, the difference in weight, and the diagonal cut would certainly cause machine stitching to pucker.)

Continue to pin, baste, and sew until you've joined enough ties to go around your waist . . . then add one more cravat . . . handstitch the last length to the first one ... remove the rows of basting ... carefully press the seams open ... and your silk skirt is almost finished.

 LINE AND HEM

To line the garment, lay it out diagonally—to use as a pattern—on a doubled piece of silky material. (My skirt's lining is black.) Then, leaving adequate seam allowance, cut the lining ... stitch up the two sides (again, by hand) .. . and press the seams open. Put the skirt inside the lining, wrong sides out, and sew around the top at a point 1/2" from the edge. Now, turn the skirt right side out and baste the top edge . . . to hold the lining 1/8" inside the skirt (so that you won't be able to see it when the garment is done).

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