An old Sears’ catalog said: “an untied man is an untidy one.” Men have been wearing neckwear for the last 300 years. This means this has been a source of fabric for quilters for a long time. So, where are the quilts? Crazy quilts are often from dress fabric and are designed for embroidery and embellishment.
I know ties wear out, but with birthdays, Father’s Day, Christmas and other gift-giving occasions do all ties go away? Is having a closet full of neckties something from the latter part of the 20th century? Did soiled ties get tossed because dry cleaners are expensive? Am I the only one that wonders why this source is not “mined?”
Over 20 years ago, I received a box of 178 ties from my best friend’s father. I remembered Yogi Berra’s quote, “When you come to a fork in the road, Take It.” So, I took the path to become an advocate of using neckties in quilts, pillows, table runners, handbags, garments, all things. I wanted to tell all that the fabric is full of wonderful colors, textures, and intricate designs. If the previous owner is known, there are memories and stories. His necktie shows his personality or mood, regardless of whether he purchased it himself or a gift. Making items of this fabric would be environmentally correct—Reuse, Reduce and Recycle.
And, the “duh” question — much of the fabric was silk and could easily be worth $ 80. /yard and it is given to you for free. NOTE: this disclaimer is written to tell you FREE means that only little or no money was exchanged to acquire the fabric. My purpose was to find out why everyone did not use discarded ties.
Of course, the fabric is slippery and difficult to handle.
Many ties are polyester; therefore offering little proper snob appeal. Ties are made to attract attention – usually worn with a dark suit and light shirt. Most fabric companies design fabric where all designs play nice with other selections, and provide coordinates. Most ties were meant to stand-alone – a pleasing design is often difficult (IMPOSSIBLE!) to coordinate with other tie fabrics. One tie, “harvested”, yields 1/8th-1/16 of a yard.
HMMM — there really may be something to There is no such thing as a Free Lunch (or free fabric).
The Starry Path workshop yesterday had amazing students. Their blocks were spectacular. Their insights will lead me to re-edit my pattern and techniques. We started with these WIP 12” blocks. Soon I will share some of their work.