I can’t believe how beautiful the silk fabric is on these bow ties I’m piecing into a memorial quilt. Each tie has its own story from the Christmas themed tie to the funky 1970’s-fashion statement tie. FUN!
Here are the steps I’ve been doing to prepare the silk bow ties for piecing.
First I separate the skinny neck strip from the larger bow section of the tie.
Next you have to very, very carefully take the stitches out of the delicate silk fabric. You’ll find an interfacing piece between the two faces of fabric that will be removed.
I starch these newly liberated silk pieces to help give them some body and stabilize the silk. Be sure to lower the temperature to your “silk” setting on your iron.
Finally, I place these sections on a very lightweight fusible interfacing. Next I iron the silk onto the fusible. (I use my Teflon applique pressing sheet to protect my iron.)
Finally it is time to trim up those pieces! Each tie has a different width so I let each tie dictate how wide it wants to be. I am trimming each strip of bow tie fabric to be 5 1/2″ long.
I will be combining these strips in the coming days so stop by to see the progress!
Up next, Pat’s fabulous batik! WOW! My daughter loves this. I’ve got some variegated thread pulled to use on it. Pat is going to love how this turns out!
I’m Angela- Co-host of the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting PBS show. APQS Long arm Dealer and Educator. Triplet Momma. Designer. Thread Bimbo.
2 Responses
What a wonderful idea! I’ve never seen ties used before in a quilt.
Thanks, Heather!
Ties can be difficult to work with since they are so slippery but they CAN be tamed. Thanks for stopping by!