QuiltE

Hello Everyone!
I am looking for both inspiration and advice on the How To's of working with old ties for memory tribute items.

The backstory ... after donating some quilty items to the church Christmas bazaar, one of the ladies has asked me to make something with her husband's ties. Her first thoughts are a pillow, but open to ideas. My normal answer is no, to such a request, as I don't like the pressure of doing something that may not turn out to another's ideals. Especially when working with treasured items from a much-loved deceased person.

But I really did appreciate the man ... a sweet soul, with a goofy sort of personality, who always could put a positive spin on things and make you smile and laugh, and who was much loved by many. His "trademark" was that he was always immaculately dressed, including an unique tie with a story to go with it!! For sure, the overall tie project definitely is quite fitting with that direct link to him.

So, here I am considering saying yes towards honouring this man ... but I have not shared that possibility at this point. And won't until I am really sure that I want to get involved.

So, please do share ...
* inspiration ... photos of things you (or others) have made with old ties
* tips and tricks in working with old ties
* and please be sure to include ... lessons learned!! In other words, what not to do!!
* links that may be of help to me

IF I say yes, I want to go into this, well prepared to feel good about it, through to a nicely finished item, to be treasured. Definitely I do not want to get into it and say "why oh why?" .... and have a hard time finishing it.

PLEASE? and THANK YOU!!!

Iceblossom

A number of years ago, I made an "Ugly Tie" crazy quilt using primarily big ugly 1970s poly ties I got from thrift stores with wild textures and designs. I also had a bag of nice conservative silk ties from a friend's grandfather. For the conservative silk ties, traditional foundation pieced options like log cabin, spiderweb, or similar options are good. They were narrow and not much color range.

Downside to working with ties -- they are dirty even when they don't look like it. You should "gut" the ties removing the filling and was them before use. There is usually an easy to remove seam up the back of the tie, the filling was often sewn in. The poly ties washed pretty good! I was surprised. Because of the folds, you often don't get much usable fabric other than what you can see on the front.

Have attached a picture of the Ugly Tie quilt which turned out to be a favorite of my son. Picture was taken after maybe 10 years of heavy use. I put all the washed ties in a big black plastic bag, and then without looking grabbed 10 to put in a small lunch bag (again without looking). I had to use at least some of each tie per block. Some of the fabrics I expected to wear out didn't -- and some the fabrics I thought would hold up fell apart but I still had the foundation backing to hold everything together. It had a really great/horrible doubleknit as a back and I tied the blocks about every 6" with a heavy thread.

dunster

A friend recently started making quilts from old silk ties. She recommended this book to me. I bought it and scanned through it, but I haven't decided to take the plunge with actually making anything with ties yet. I was impressed with the book's detailed instructions for how to prepare the ties for whatever you want to use them for.

KalamaQuilts

how many items does she want? It would be lovely to make her ONE something special like a really neat pin cushion but ties are like working with satin, once you cut them you pretty much need to stablize them if you want to make a quilt block.

I personally don't think ties wash well as far a quilts go, and they run and run and run.
How about an ottoman? just search tie ottoman, they are gorgeous and would make a wonderful conversation piece.
this is the largish one, but there are parts for a darling little one too, particularly for a hatpin collector I'm not sure but I think you could make this in a day and no really fiddly cutting.

GingerK

Wow KalamaQuilts! That ottoman is spectacular!! If it was in my house, I'd disown anyone who put their feet on it tho.

The first thing I thought of was Dresden Plates. That could work very well for a cushion, and depending on the width of each blade, you might be able to use the wide parts of the ties for one and the narrow parts for another. I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with--if you decide to take on the project.

Quiltah Mama

My first thought like Gingerk too was Dresden plates that you could make it to a pillow, or even a bag. But then I saw the picture of the ottoman, and wow 😯 that would be my pick. What a great idea, and unique.
Also if you search tie upcycling and look at the images, lots of neat ideas.🤓
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Lena1952

My dear friend whos husband had died wanted a table runner made for her living room coffee table where she could see it everyday. We used the ties in their original form and machine appliqued them to blocks. The block orientation was alternating so no matter where you looked at least a tie was right side up. We did a simple straight stitch 1/4 inch around the tie for the quilting. The runner was put together "pillow case" style, so no binding. My friend who was not a great seamstress helped with design, the ties used, their placement, and sewed the blocks together making her feel like a part of the process. she loved and enjoyed her runner until a few years later when she died of brain cancer. Sometimes something simple works best.

WMUTeach

This suggestion comes after seeing a friend struggle with a "memory tie" project she did just a few weeks ago. She is an expert quilter and a longarmer. One of her customers brought a pile of ties and a pattern from Pintrest to her and she proceeded to carefully take the ties apart and start the quilt. "YIKES", she cried! After about 6 or 7 ties, she reread the pattern and found that because of the items being cut on the bias and of soft slippery fabric the directions said, "Do not disassemble the ties!" She put them back together and the project turned out just fine. A weird pattern, I must say, but it was what the customer wanted. My hint is to read the directions of any pattern carefully but more importantly DON'T take the ties apart! Tee-Hee-Hee!

Quiltwoman44

I like dresden plates for ties but am in love with the Ottoman!! !

GingerK

Many years ago, purses made from men's ties, were a popular DIY project. I actually made one just to try. But Mr. Google shows many different purse and tote applications for men's ties. Another idea.