Necktie quilt

[Ellen L.]

I've been commissioned to make a necktie quilt from some old neckties belonging to someone's father. She wants something resembling a large dresden plate in the center. Because of some of the pictures and writing on some of the neckties, I do not want to trim them down using my dresden plate template. I'll use that for smaller pieces in each corner. But I'm wondering how to fasten the ties that will create the center circle. There are a number of photos when I search google images, but none clear enough to see how they have sewed them to the backing material. Any suggestions?

[Lorna B.]

Sounds like a lovely idea! The only time I made a dresden plate quilt was with English paper piecing. I sewed the individual parts of the plate together by hand and then hand sewed that to the background fabric. Then the background under the plate was cut away so the paper could be removed.

I'm sure it can also be done by machine though.

[ANNE E.]

Hi Ellen.......I hope that's your name.
I see that you are a new member so you might not have access to all the shows but if you are able to go to show 502 Amelie Belden she shows you Dresden Plate blocks and how to put them together.
Other than that I would go to our old friend Google or YouTube.
Good luck and Happy new year.
Let us know how you get on.
Anne

[Beverly C.]

Hi, Ellen! Welcome to TQS!!

[Nancy R.]

Hi Ellen.......I hope that's your name.
I see that you are a new member so you might not have access to all the shows but if you are able to go to show 502 Amelie Belden she shows you Dresden Plate blocks and how to put them together.
Other than that I would go to our old friend Google or YouTube.
Good luck and Happy new year.
Let us know how you get on.
Anne

If you have a paid membership, you should be able to access all of the shows. This was a policy change from about a year ago.

[Ellen L.]

Thank you for your comments. I'm actually not new to TQS, but I haven't posted to the forums for several years, so I'm guessing that's why it shows that I'm new. I am a member, and will go back and look at the Ameilie Belden show. I've tried both google and Youtube, but the necktie quilts on youtube are not what I'm looking for. I'm going to try to wing it. I'll post a picture of what I come up with when I've got it finished.

[brenda h.]

I was just looking at the Bernina videos and there was one using neckties for piping. They talk about taming the bias with starch before using the ties. This might make it easier to audition them so you can get accurate measurements and cut your own pattern for a dresden type design. I have boxes of old ties that are calling me to use them some way. I like the idea of a dresden plate.

[brenda h.]

One possibility would be to lay the ties out in the Dresden circle on a square of background fabric large enough to accommodate the whole "plate". Once you have the ties arranged as desired, tack them down to the background, along all their edges, using basting glue (I'd recommend Elmer's School Glue or a washable glue stick). Iron to dry the glue, or just set it all aside for an hour or so.

Then, using a decorative machine stitch or small zigzag, stitch along the adjoining edges of the ties; use a stitch wide enough to catch both ties' edges and hold them down securely. Then stitch around the outer edges of the Dresden plate. You might need to add a stabilizer to the back of the piece to prevent tunneling of the stitches.

If you want to add extra dimension to the Dresden Plate, you can put a piece of batting on the back (instead of stabilizer); the decorative stitching will hold the batting in place. After stitching, trim the batting away from the outer edges of the "plate".

Be sure to post pictures!

[Ellen L.]

Thanks for all the tips. I finished the tie quilt this weekend. Stabilizing was definitely the trick. I stabilized the ties, I stabilized the back of the fabric. I used strips of wonder under to attach the ties to the background. Glue would not hold the ties. One tie did not like the wonder under, so if anyone ever does this, make sure you try it on a small piece first. Each tie was a bit different in It's a bit stiff, but it's a wall hanging so that should be an advantage. I used transparent thread and used a very narrow zigzag stitch to catch each tie and sew it down. Then I did some quilting on the white background with white thread. I used a lovely printable silk for the picture in the center. It has the same feel as the ties. I bound the quilt with pieces from the neck area of the ties. They also had iron on interfacing stabilizing them. I'm pleased with the results. I tried to insert a picture of the quilt here, but it doesn't seem to be working so you can see the picture on my flickr account here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ellenceleste/16432967269/

[Lorna B.]

Great use of the ties! Is the center picture printed on fabric? Very nice!

[Beverly C.]

Really well done! What a great keepsake.

[Beverly C.]

That is lovely. Like the corners made with the smaller ends too.

[Judith A.]

Your necktie quilt is the best I have seen yet. Well done.

Judith

[Ellen L.]

Yes, the center picture is printed on fabric. I had not used that type before. It's called Silk Inkjet Printable fabric sheets by Jaquard. Once you peel the fabric off the paper background, it feels just like silk and was the perfect complement to the ties. The photo was a photo I took of a photo taken on the gentleman's 90th birthday. I took it with my ipad and enhanced it in photoshop. It printed quite well.

[Rita C.]

What a great keepsake quilt. I really like how it turned out, congratulations. :cheer: