How to Make a Bow Tie April 22 2014
I needed to make make nine little clip on bow ties for grandchildren and four larger clip on bow ties for friends of the groom. We wanted to make them match perfectly the other fabrics used. When they are massed produced by rotary cutting all of the pieces and chain sewing them, it really didn't take that long and the results were wonderful. It's a great way to unify the look of little boys in a family photo.
Watch how to make a clip on bow tie.
Materials needed:
- Fabric
- Clip
- Matching Thread
You can find the clips here.
Step by step
Step 1:
Adult tie cut two pieces that measure
Lower bow
8” long and 6” wide folded right sides together to measure 4" by 6"
Top bow
7” tall and 6” wide folded right sides together to measure 3 1/2" x 6"
Cut one piece that measures
2" and at least 3" for ease of holding.
Sew the bows on the ends and along the one open sides, leaving just enough open for turning right sides out. Press and fold under the opening.
Step 2
Grade the corners. Turn the bows right side out. Make sure the corners are sharp.Close the opening with needle and thread so the stitches will not show.
Step 3
Stack the two sizes together so they align end to end. The top tie will be smaller in width. With a double thread and knotted on the end hand baste the center of each bow. Go in 1/2" from the side and out and in every 1/2 inch. When it is finished there should be three 1/2 inch stitches centered on the bow. This creates three folds. If they are uniform they will look very professional.
jStep 4
Hold the gathers together and pull the thread back and forth through the folds to secure.
Step 5
Prepare center wrap which is the 2" wide piece by folding the two sides to meet in the center. Fold this in half so all of the raw edges are hidden.
Step 6
Starting on the back, whip stitch one end of the center wrap to the bow Bring the wrap around the front and back to cover the starting whip stitch. Clip the wrap so it is large enough to fold under and blind stitch. This closure is shown in the next photo.
Step 7
Clip a small opening through one layer of fabric on the back of the tie. This should be about 1/4" away from the center wrap on each side.
Step 8
With the clip snapped open, slide the part with the row of holes in the metal through the opening. Do this on both sides and snap the clip closed. This will position the clip between the layers and where they need to be positioned.
jStep 9
With needle and thread whip stitch the fabric to the holes in the clip inside the layers of bow tie. This will secure the clip from slipping out.