Friday 29 May 2015

He's at it again...


...he being my friend Joe, and it being tie making! I must admit, apart from making my husband a tie from a basic kit, the ins-and-outs of ties didn't really interest me that much until recently. Joe's enthusiasm is infectious and I'm now becoming strangely fascinated by them!  He came over for a visit a few weeks ago all set to make another tie. Instead of the Sew Over It tie kit that we'd used for his first tie, he now wanted to make a seven fold tie. I'd never even heard of a seven fold tie, so for those of you who are similarly in the dark, here's a quick bit of background:

A seven fold tie refers to how the tie is constructed. Instead of using a separate domette, or interfacing, the tie is made from one single piece of fabric that is folded seven times (the clue's in the name!) There is far more fabric required to make a seven fold tie, resulting in a weightier feel, a superior drape and a more luxurious feel. As a consequence, these ties are very expensive to buy. The extra fabric and body also help achieve larger and more consistent knots. Joe did give me a demonstration of various knots (half Windsor, full Windsor etc) but I'm afraid my mind wandered at that point. 

Anyway, that's what a seven fold tie is, and Joe wanted me to help him make one - I was happy to oblige. He'd come prepared and bought a posh looking tie from a vintage shop to unpick and use as a pattern. The owner assured him it was a seven fold tie, but when we unpicked it, there were only six folds! Apparently there is such a thing as a six fold tie, still luxurious, but one notch down from the seven fold in the tie hierarchy. A six fold is folded in a more symmetrical way than the seven fold (obvs) and includes an interlining. Undeterred, we made a six fold tie instead….


Ironing the tie as flat as we could, we chalked around it to get the shape, including the all-important fold lines. At this point, I think Joe was a bit worried about my slapdash tracing skills, but I was confident that a good press would hide a multitude of sins. For fabric, he used this gorgeous fig design Liberty lawn from their archive collection. Like last time, there was very little sewing involved, most of our time was spent at the ironing board. And my prophecy was correct, pressing really does hide a multitude of sins! He soon had a very posh looking six fold tie. 

The all important label!
For a finishing touch, he wanted to use the same open running stitch and button feature that can be seen on this fab Italian video - how a sette (seven fold) tie is made. I rather like the finished effect, the yellow thread and button really pop against the dark background colour of the tie.



There's no stopping him now, next time we'll definitely be tackling a seven fold tie. Watch this space!

My, what a posh looking tie Mr Alessi

36 comments:


  1. Who would have thought tie making could be fascinating. Like origami. Great tie Joe👔

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    1. I know! I'm still surprised by how intriguing it is! x

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  2. Great job, Joe! You look very suave and sophisticated x

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  3. That's a great looking tie. Gosh, I learn so much when I visit your blog.

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  4. Never thought there could be so much to a tie..?

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    1. There's a whole parallel tie universe out there! x

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  5. Fab tie! I had no idea of the construction what so ever. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Neither did I before this session, not a clue! x

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  6. Thanks for sharing! My husband owns a tie with an identical running stitch. I always suspected it was constructed differently but had no idea what it would be called or how to find out more about it. I love Joe's tie and will save the Italian video!

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    1. Ah you must watch the video, it's so interesting (and charming). Your husband's tie may well be a posh seven fold with that running stitch, it's intriguing isn't it?! x

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  7. This last week I bought some stuff from the liquidation of a menswear business, including the patterns, and in them is a pile of clear plastic tie shapes, with a centre line marked in. I thought they were patterns but they can't be, as they are the shape of a completed tie. I think they are templates that you put on the cut out fabric and sew the tie around, then slide out afterwards. It's fascinating! And I love the idea of this folded in tie. And it does look grand! Gosh that fabric is delicious too, I may have to hunt it down and shoot it for myself!

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    1. Go and hunt that fabric down, it's worth it! And your little plastic tie shaped things sound fascinating - the things that intrigue us sewing types eh?! x

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  8. I have enjoyed your tie posts so much - though had not been the least interested in ties previously!! My husband's fashion choices exclude ties on *all* occasions except funerals - and unfortunately, he has a navy and black model that he routinely produces at such times... I am so inspired to try tie making, I may have to start wearing them myself... I hope Joe returns soon and there are further reports on your collaborations!

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    1. Ah, so pleased to hear you're enjoying the tie posts. There will definitely be more! x

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  9. What fun. My husband is much like Kitty's above. He has one suit which does weddings, funerals and any other occasion where a suit is required. With a choice of about 3 ties and two or three shirts. As he wears a uniform at work he doesn't have a need for suits, they are provided with a smart uniform for special occasions.

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    1. Yep, my husband's the same re ties! x

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  10. I am going to look in more detail at my dad's ties before I start doing anything with them now!

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    1. Oh definitely Berni, some of them looked really posh, I bet there's a few seven folds amongst them! x

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  11. That fabric is gorgeous. I thought it was silk, it looks so smooth in your photo. Who would have thought tie construction could be so fascinating.

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    1. Ah, that's Liberty lawn for you, it's gorgeous! x

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  12. Now I'm so intrigued with tie-making! I've never heard of a 7-fold tie, but now I want to try and make one for my husband. For some reason the 7-fold seems more up my alley than using interfacing for a normal tie.

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    1. The seven fold is the only way to go, the Rolls Royce of ties. Check out the video Jane posted..

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    2. It's definitely a more luxurious finish, go for it! x

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  13. Thanks everyone for your kind comments.. Going to try a plain navy blue seven fold next, maybe even in silk (Shock! Horror!) with a gold satin lining. Wish me luck...

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    1. Silk?!!! Satin lining?!! Are you deliberately trying to stress me out Mr?! Only joking, bring it on! x

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  14. It is glorious! Love the print and the button detail is SO interesting - have never seen that before OR heard of the 6/7 fold tie for that matter!

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    1. It is glorious isn't it? Look at the link Joe's left in the comment below - all the ties have the button detail, they're lovely. x

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  15. http://www.guidepg.com/en/howards-2/

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    1. Oooh fab! Those ties are the business AND they've all got buttons and running stitch - the sign of a quality seven fold! You should start selling them love, honestly. x

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  16. I'm a bit in love with Joe and his ties. Does he have his own blog?

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    1. Yep, he's quite the charmer! No, he does't have his own blog but I'm sure it's only a matter of time! x

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  17. Fantastic! This looks super posh!

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