Fit to be Tied Skirt and Accessories

How do you refashion menswear into a little girl's style statement?  For Week #2 of So You Think You're Crafty, I did it by turning castaway neckties into a twirly skirt for a little lady.  I put the word out to family and friends that I was collecting old neckties for a project and I got a great response.  I had lots of colors and patterns to choose from.

 

After choosing my ties, I starting by cutting a bunch of them in half so I would have a wide end and a skinny end.  I laid out my pattern, alternating wide and skinny ends.

I ran them through the sewing machine, right sides together.

I kept going until I had enough length for my skirt.

Then, I used one of my girls' school uniform skirts as a pattern for length and waist size.

I used some wide non-roll elastic from Jo-Ann Fabric for the waistband.

I folded the top edge of the skirt over the elastic and stitched it in place to form the waistband.  To close it all up, I turned the skirt inside out and two right sides of the ties together, just as I had on all of the other ties.  Done!

For the purse, I started with one of these purse frames from Jo-Ann.

 

 I opened up the wide ends of two ties and ironed them flat.

I folded the sides in to match up with the purse frame.

I used the skinny end of a tie to make a purse handle.  I pinned it all into place and stitched it up.  Once the purse frame is in place, you just hand sew your fabric to the frame.

I also used some leftover tie fabric to make some yo-yos for a hair accessory.  I stacked a few together, sewed on a rhinestone button, and hot glued it all to an alligator clip.

This little lady was quite happy with her new feminine twist on menswear!

Thanks to all of you who have been voting in the So You Think You're Crafty competition!  The contest has been a lot of fun so far.  I'm excited to see how far I get in the contest.  It's always fun to see the new projects each Monday.