Upcycled Tie Skirt!

Here's a tutorial on my favorite 'father inspired' skirt!
Made with 34 ties!

And a matching one for my lovely little assistant!  :)

Step 1: You'll Need Ties...lots of Ties!

Start with a pile of ties!  I used 34 for mine.
(ties can get pricey--even second hand, even a tie for $2 is going to make this skirt cost $60+)

I wanted to do a tie skirt for a long time...like when I was in
High school...
It took me 10 years to collect enough ties for it!
So, ask around...ask every guy you know to donate a tie to the cause!

Most of these ties were snagged, the lining was coming out or had some little problem...or they were just
way outdated!  Even better!  :)

I knew how long I wanted my finished skirt to be,
so I cut my ties all 2 inches longer than the desired length (measuring from the bottom of the big end)...mine are 22 inches total length...
so I started with them 24 inches.  (I saved all the skinny ends and used it for my daughters skirt.)
this would give me enough space to make sure they were
even across the top when I did the waistband.

Step 2: Sew the Ties!

I didn't cut the layers of the ties at all!  Keep it easy!

I wanted it to be a substantial skirt and keep me covered and warm!

Just put 2 ties right sides together and straight stitch down the edge.
Start with the bottom of the tie, the triangle end...this way your skirt
will match up at the bottom edge and look pinked like Tinkerbell's skirt.

Then repeat until you have enough width to fit around you comfortably.

The natural shape of the tie is perfect paneling for an a-line skirt--my favorite!

I used 32 ties to get around my waist...and 2 to make a sash!
it just depends on the width of the ties...I learned they vary quite a bit!

Step 3: Wasitband Time!

This makes a thick skirt!  But I love it!
It feels like wearing a suit!

Okay,
for my skirt I put in an invisible zipper,
Trimmed the top edge of the skirt so it was all even and the perfect length...
and then edged it with double fold bias tape! 
Easy, maybe not pretty...but no one sees the waist band anyway!

I used 2 additional ties to make a waistband, cut and sewn together.
I just put the skirt on and tied them where I wanted it...pinned it in place and
then just straight stitched it right on.

Step 4: Or Elastic!

For my daughters skirt
I used the cut off ends from my skirt.
This made her skirt a little more like a pencil skirt than an a-line.

I used 3 inch elastic & sewed it right to the ties---this way she could wear it through a few years of growth.
Just make sure you are stretching the elastic as you sew it on the ties.

Step 5: Ready to Wear!

I've never received so many compliments on a
single piece of clothing as this tie skirt gets!

Most popular line from men folk: "hey, can I borrow a tie?"

Hope you enjoyed my attempt at create something useful, unique and beautiful
with something that was on its way to the trash!

Please vote for me up at the top right!  :)  Thanks!

And check out my blog doodlecraft for daily awesome!