Week 1: Tailored Tie Sew-Along
It's finally here! Welcome to week 1 of the Tailored Tie Sew-Along. Each week I'll be releasing a blog post with what to expect for the week and what your "to-do list" includes (don't worry, it's totally manageable). This week is mainly the prep work before we start sewing and takes about an hour in total. Below you'll find an outline of what needs to be done, along with videos to help make things easier for those new to sewing.
1) HOW TO PRINT A DIGITAL SEWING PATTERN
First thing's first, if you've never purchased a digital sewing pattern before, you're probably wondering how to go about printing it out. Below I've included a video on what to do after you purchase the Tailored Tie Pattern. It details exactly what you need to do to print out your pattern correctly. If you're an expert at printing digital sewing patterns, no need to watch this, but if you're new to it or a little rusty, I encourage you to take a look.
2) SUPPLIES & FABRIC SELECTION
If you're confident in your fabric selection abilities, go forth and buy your dream fabric for your Tailored Tie. I have some tips for purchasing fabric on page 3 of the Tailored Tie sewing instructions. If you're like me however, and struggle to choose fabrics, check out the video I made below. It's a little longer (around 11 minutes), but I go into detail on how to choose the perfect supplies and fabric for the Tailored Tie. I also have a summary of that video listed below.Supplies for this week:
-Printer
-Printer paper or cardstock
-Ruler
-Paper Scissors
-Tape
Picking Out Fabric:
RECOMMENDED FABRICS:
Classic Fabrics: Silks are most commonly used for ties and will give you the most similar appearance to those seen in stores. For a cheaper alternative to silk, microfiber will come closest. Polyesters will also cast a silky sheen, but will appear cheaper.
Summer Fabrics: Cottons and linens make great summer ties. They come in a much wider variety of prints and are easier for beginners to work with.
Winter Fabrics: Wools and tweeds are perfect for winter ties. The heavier fabric weight creates great contrast with this thin tie pattern. The heavyweight interfacing is not necessary when using these fabrics.
LINING FABRICS:
Use a similar fabric used for the main tie fabric.
HEAVYWEIGHT SEW-IN INTERFACING:
This does not have to specifically be interfacing. In my example, I used felt. Some people also use a heavy canvas. If the fabric used for the main fabric is already stiff, the heavyweight sew-in interfacing can be left out.
3) Assembling the Pattern
Again, if you're not a video person, page 6 of the Tailored Tie Pattern tells you exactly how to assemble the pattern. If you're more of a visual person, I have a short video posted below along with some spark notes on how to cut out and assemble the Tailored Tie Pattern.
Cutting Out the Pattern:
Once your pattern is printed, make sure the test square in the top left-hand corner of the pattern measures exactly 1" by 1". After that, cutting out the pattern is pretty simple. Just cut along the outer edges of each pattern piece. Sort the pieces by color (or name if you didn't print the pattern in color).
Assembling the Pattern:
To put the pattern together, match the letters and tape along the dotted line.
You'll notice a few markings on some of the patterns, don't worry, I'll go over that in more detail next week when we cut out the fabric.
What questions do you have about what we went over this week? I'll be answering common questions throughout the week in my Facebook group and in my Instagram stories.
Happy Sewing,
