Upcycled Necktie Banner

I worked with Alison Zeno to create a unique twist on the red ribbon at the grand opening of CRAFTED. We decided old red neckties would make a visually impactful banner that would be both visible from most angles and photograph well. It was simple to make, and I am thinking of making a second one in all grey ties for a Fifty Shades of Grey book party ;) wouldn't that be fun!

First things first, tie all your ties like you would wear them. I only know one way to tie a necktie to begin with. There are all kinds of ways to initially tie the neckties - tie each tie like you are going to wear it with whatever knotting method you choose. I used small tacking stitches to secure the tail of the tie in the back as well as at the neck to get it to lie flat. The main trick to turn the neckties into a banner is to get the neck hole to lie flat by tacking it. To get it flat you smooth the fabric up from the knot and fold one of the sides over at the top slightly almost like making a dart. This step is optional since it is reinforced when you attach the ties together I just thought I would note it in case yours isn't coming out fully flat. Attaching the tip of one of the ties to the next one is shown in the picture above. Place the angled tip of one tie inside where the neck touches together of the second tie and make some small stitches attaching both of them together.  It really is that simple!

For this banner I used 12 ties.  There was a 13th but the material was different from the others and it twisted and didn't lie flat with the other ties.  I decided to take it out and thankfully it was plenty long without using it.  Depending on the area you want to hang your banner up I would say 8-14 ties would be plenty to make a statement banner.

We would love to see if you try one for yourself :) Feel free to post pictures to our Facebook of what you come up with.

XOXO, KC