Tie Bag

Alan had heaps of ties that he no longer wore so I planned to make a bag out of them. I googled ties and found lots of really creative ideas. There were heaps of bags but none seemed to scream "me". I decided I would make one that suited me. I used all the tips and hints from those who had gone before. Thank you. Here's how I did mine.

First of all you need to decide on a tie combination. Sound easy? This part was the longest.

This if the front and back. Or is it back and front. I lay the ties down, right side up, topping and tailing them. At this stage I left them intact. I butted the edges together and sew them. You could skip this step and go straight to the machine but I wouldn't recommend it. The ties are slippery and quite difficult to keep together while using the machine.

I then cut them to size. Using a decorative stitch with a contrasting thread I sewed over the basting thread. This reinforces the seams. I considered hand embroidering the seam but got over that in a hurry. I realized that I could be sewing through 8 layers. I then sewed the front and back together to make the bag shape.

I used an offcut of the wide end to create the closure. I lay it right sides together and zigzagged the straight edge just below the top of bag.

I added a button to the other side.

I next added handles using 2 long narrow offcuts. I chose to make mine so it would be easy to carry in my hand but also fit over my shoulder. I also lined the bag.

This is the finished bag. It has a nicer shape when in use, this photo was taken empty. I've used it already.