Bow-tie

I needed an orange bow-tie for a costume party I'm attending in December. Obviously there are many serviceable and affordable versions available to buy, but while I was looking for wool for another project I uncovered a large piece of orange fabric left over from my course. It was supposed to have been yellow, but I'd dyed it for too long and then set it to one side thinking it would come in useful for something else. Here was that opportunity! I would make my own bow-tie and save myself £4.

Having committed to this course of action I decided to go all out and make a bow-tie that you actually tie, rather than a clip-on one, (the reasoning behind this was that if I wasn't prepared to buy a bow-tie then I also wasn't prepared to buy a bow-tie clip). I found a set of instructions on Instructables that looked pretty reasonable, read them carefully and printed out the pattern that came with them.

However, the instructions said that the pattern was for a 17 inch neck. Confident that my neck was not 17 inches, I recklessly shortened the pattern. The result was pretty predictable; a bow-tie that was far too short to be worn by a human being.

Bengt looks pretty dapper though.

For the second version I just followed the pattern and it came out the right size. The back is a complete mess. It's not straight, the fabric has bunched up oddly and the seams are lumpy, but all of this is hidden by the shirt collar so who cares? I used this Instructable to figure out how to tie it. I think I may still need some practice.

I'll post something about the rest of the costume when it's done, (the blue shirt is also part of it), but that might not be for another month.