With the holidays approaching and thoughts about Christmas gifts, I thought it would be nice to share with you the simple bow tie tutorial made by Iam Patterns for Marie Claire Idées. The bow tie is always a nice gift to give or a good idea to brighten up a dressier outfit.
You know that Iam Patterns is a pattern brand that I particularly like because the brand combines top-notch pattern making, clear and accessible assembly instructions, with comfortable and timeless cuts. That's why you can now find them in the shop 😊.
Beyond that, I think a free pattern is also a great way to discover a brand... so I invite you to sew your bow tie. You'll see it's very simple and accessible to beginners, and on top of that, it allows you to use your scraps and make matching clothes (if you want, for example for the lady's printed...)!
Enough talk, let's get to the tutorial!
The pattern
The pattern is very (very) simple since it consists of a single piece with 0.8cm seam allowances included. You can download it here.
The necessary materials
To sew a bow tie, you will need:
- a printed fabric about 110cm by 25cm
- some thin fusible interfacing a piece about 110cm by 12cm
- some matching thread
and your sewing supplies: sewing machine, pins, scissors, a guide tool...
For fabric choice, cotton popelines, cotton lawn, and more structured fabrics like Japanese cottons or wax are well suited for making bow ties. Feel free to play with creativity and patterns!
The steps
To choose the size, simply measure the neck circumference of the person it is intended for.
Caution: the thinnest part of the pattern (where the sizes are indicated) should be cut on the fold. You can write this on the pattern or draw a symbol to remember.
2. Fuse half of the fabric you chose by placing your fusible interfacing along the raw edge.
3. Fold your fabric and pin the pattern onto the fusible interfaced fabric.
4. Cut following the pattern.
5. Cut the pattern a second time, this time on the part of the fabric that is not fusible interfaced.
6. Place the 2 pieces right sides together and pin around the edges, leaving a 12 cm opening. My little tip is to place glass-headed pins at the beginning and end of the opening. I start sewing at the first glass-headed pin, continue, and remember to stop when I see the other pin.
7. Sew all around 0.8 cm from the edge.
8. Trim the corners and notch the curves.
9. Turn the whole piece through the opening left. You can use a seam guide tool to help.
10. Push out the corners well; you can use the stick of the seam guide tool for this.
11. Press the whole piece well with a bit of steam.
12. Close the opening you left to turn the piece right side out by hand with a small invisible stitch.
Ta-da, the bow tie is ready!
All that's left is to tie it.
Here is a well-made explanatory video that will help you tie it harmoniously.
So, ready to sew bow ties for the end-of-year holidays, weddings, Father's Day...? I think it's a great project to sew and a super nice accessory for gentlemen to wear.
And you, what do you think? Is the bow tie trendy?
