Have you ever wondered how to make a tie that you really love just a bit skinnier?
I have !
So when one of my missionaries asked me if I could make his fat tie skinnier, I agreed to do it just so I could learn. I had so much fun turning those fat ugly ties into something that really looked great!
So here we go... a tutorial on how to make a fat tie skinny
the first thing you are going to do is take the stitching out, starting at the bottom of the tie and trying not to cut the thread if you are able to. You will use this thread later to stitch it back together. Take it out just about half way, until you get to the point where it is a little smaller than the width that you want it to be.
You will also need to clip the thread on any tags or loops that might be on the underside of the tie.
Your tie will look something like this...
Next, you will gently pull out the felt piece that shapes the tie.
Using another skinny tie as a pattern, use a pencil and draw a line on the felt to match the dimensions that you would like. If you don't have another skinny tie, mark the felt at the bottom in the width you would like and gradually draw a line up to the middle of the tie where you stopped taking out the thread.
Cut along this line so that the felt is the new shape of your tie
Use a ruler and determine how much skinnier your tie will be by measuring the distance between the edge of the felt and the old fold line. Double this amount. In this situation my new tie is a half inch smaller on both sides, so I will use 1" as my measurement.
Next, you will turn the tie inside out at the bottom where the lining is.
Stitch a new seam on the sides of the tie in the same amount that you measured and doubled. Just stitch as far as the lining goes. I will be sewing my new seam 1" from the old stitching. Be sure to fold the tie along the same fold at the bottom of the tie so that the lining will pull to the inside.
After you stitch the new seam, cut off both sides of the existing tie starting at the fold along the bottom of the tie. You will start cutting the same amount that you doubled and eventually taper the amount until you get up to the middle of the tie. In this case I started with 1" and tapered to nothing at the top.
if you are worried that you will cut too much off, you can start with a lesser amount and cut more off after you have measured. It would be better to cut less than more!
turn your tie right side out, tuck the felt under the lining and press the new seam flat
on the right side of the tie you will press the seam, then flatten the edge. On the left side press the edge under about 1/4"-1/2". This should have been the way it was pressed when you took out the stitching.
the left side is pressed under 1/2"
Next, you will turn and press the right side of the tie up against the edge of the felt and trim the edge if necessary so that it is not quite to the left side of the felt. It should be more than half way across the tie
Fold and press the left side of the tie on top of the right side. If it is too wide, you can measure and cut more off in order to make the seam go down the center of the tie. Pay special attention to the point at the bottom. The corners should be even.
Use the thread that you pulled out at the beginning to sew a loose running stitch to join the two sides. Sew on the tags that you took off and press one last time.
You now have a beautiful skinny tie that looks great!
Some other ties I have altered
From this...
...to this!
This is a fairly easy project, but it may take some practice with measuring and cutting. Needless to say, once I did this for one missionary, I had more ties to alter than I knew what to do with! But at least now my missionaries are looking very dashing in their new, skinny ties! If you are nervous about ruining a good tie, practice on one that you don't care about. Happy sewing!
