I had the opportunity to create a clutch purse out of old neckties. The ties belonged to the late husband of a local woman who had donated the ties. Her friend thought we could create something special and give to her.
I have a lot of ideas pinned to my Memory Items Board on Pinterest. Any time a customer asks for a new project, I browse Pinterest and save ideas that I would like to try.
For this tote, I started with four golf-themed ties.I removed the labels and the stitching along the back. I removed the batting and pressed the fabric. I cut stripes that were 3.5″ wide and interfaced them with Shape Flex. I then sewed the pieces together and cut two rectangles with the tie fabric on the bias,
I then used a decorative stitch to sew the tie fabric down to a piece of duck cloth. I added a layer of Flex Foam for extra body, a zipper and a lining to create a clutch that is about 6″ x 9″.
When I was deconstructing the ties, I couldn’t discard these lovely labels. I sewed them to the inside of the clutch.
They are a sign of a bygone era. I can’t find much history on this Cleveland clothier. But I can picture a time when I was young and my mom would take me to a shoe store where we would actually have our feet measured! Before malls. Before WalMart. Before Amazon. There is a huge, vacant Richman Brother’s factory in Cleveland. A monument to the changing textile business. I can’t help but find that sad. So now we can buy ten cheap ties and throw them out when we are tired of them or when they fall apart due to flimsy construction. I don’t know if that’s progress.
I sewed some ties a number of years ago. My brother-in-law still wears his! They are a labor of love.
In addition to the clutch, I made some of the hoop ornaments using a plaid tie and a Christmas tie. These are so simple to make yet so meaningful.
I am excited to work with ties and look forward to creating other projects with them!
