How to Make A Simple Bow Tie

I think bow ties are coming back. Remember Abdul Kadir, Mr Bow Tie? You will know if you have read enough Lat comics. He was the only minister who dared to wear patterned and colourful ones. Onz la Dato!

Now, patterned bow ties are like fashion statements. Like a cool geeky accessory. I have not seen any nice ones in JB, so what does a crafter with a nifty sewing machine do? Make some!

What you need:

1. Two pieces of fabric measuring 3.5 inches by 5 inches.
2. One piece of fabric measuring 4cm by 9cm. I just couldn't fit it in inches. Sorry for the unit inconsistency. Crafters are liddat.
3. Cotton twill ribbon/tape.
4. Small metal buttons.
5. Fray glue. Optional.

What you do:

Place the two big pieces of fabric together, with the right sides facing each other. Sew around the edge and leave a 4cm gap in the middle. For the smaller piece, fold it in half (long side) and sew one side.

Turn them inside out. It's easy for the bigger piece, but not so for the smaller, thinner one. Use a forcep or tweezer if you must. And have lots of patience.

TIP: If the fabric you're using is thick, turning it inside out will be impossible. Do this instead. Then fold it in half (long side) and do the slip-stitch.

The slip stitch is awesome because it is hidden. It is as if you turned the piece inside out.

Use slip stitch to close up the gap in the big piece.

This is the turned-inside-out pieces. Iron them.

Take the small piece and fold it in half. Sew an inch away from folded side.

Again, turn it inside out so that the extra bits are towards the inside. It looks like a thick ring doesn't it.

Next, pleat the center of the bow tie piece like this.

Fold it the same way to one side so that you can squeeze in the center ring. If it can't fit, you can thread in a corner of the bow piece first. OR make a bigger center ring.

You will need to do some adjusting so that the pleats are nice, even and centered.

Next, slip in the cotton twill ribbon behind the bow. The length of the ribbon is measured first beforehand. You can do this my measuring around the neck, and give an extra of 1.5 inch to fit around a shirt collar.

Use fray-stop glue to seal the edge. If you don't have the glue, use any strong glue will do, my favourite is UHU. And then sew the little silver snap buttons on at the ends.

Make different ones!