How to make a Seven Fold Tie: Step by Step Process
Get Silk
You will need 1.25 yards of silk. A little
extra silk is better so that you can
determine which part of the pattern will be
on the bottom of the tie. When picking out
the silk, make sure that its a heave silk.
Since the seven-fold tie is unlined, it needs
to be slightly heavier than what's needed
for a six-fold. Silk satin with a weight of 25-
30mm is a good. Otherwise just know that
its a lot thicker than blouse weight silk.
Now that you know the type of fabric, you
need to choose a pattern that works well.
Some patterns will look great on 1 yard of
silk, but most of the pattern might not show
up on a 4 inch wide tie. The tie will be cut
on the bias, so imagine the 4-inch wide tie
lying at 45 degrees on the silk and that's
your tie.
Prep Silk
Now that you have your fancy silk, you
should prep it a little. Make sure that you
have a nice wide surface to work with to
keep the silk flat and unstretched along the
bias. Iron the back of the silk to get out any
wrinkles or folds while it's easy to do so.
Use the Pattern
Now that you have the your fancy silk, you
need to use your fancy seven fold tie
pattern. Either make one or buy one.
Arrange the pattern so that the centerline is exactly on the bias. If you do not cut the tie on bias, it
may not hang nicely when you wear it and start to twirl a bit. Make sure that you lay all the pattern
pieces out so that you are sure you have enough silk. With my pattern, the joining sections are
already cut 45 degrees of the centerline. So you just have to make sure that edge is parallel with
the edge of the silk. Double check which section of the silk will show up on the bottom of the tie
before placing the other half. Now that everything fits and is placed correctly, place a paper
weight on the pattern and use your chalk to trace the pattern on the back side of the silk.
Cut the Silk
Now you can use either a sharp pair of
scissors to cut the silk or a rotary blade.
Just make sure you do not stretch the
silk too much when lifting it to cut. Now
you should have two nice pieces of silk
ready to become a luxury tie.
Use the Pattern as a Guide
The first part of the tie you will need to
sew are the bottom edges. Fold the
pattern along the dotted lines to show
what the shape should be after rolling
the edges. Now place the pattern on
the silk as a guide. It was hard to get
the silk to stay in place so I folded the
silk over the pattern and then ironed it.
This made a nice crease in the silk to
help keep the edge straight while slowly sewing the edge.
Roll Edges
I fold two small folds instead of trying
to roll the silk, but it was narrow
enough to look good. Tuck the folded
section into the crease that you just
made and sew the fold down using a
hidden stitch. Do this for all four edges
by the tips of the tie. The sides may
not ravel, but they will be visible when
opening up the tie and will look better
with a rolled edge. Finally, repeat this
process on the other end of the tie.
Attach Halves
Now line up the two halves along the dotted
line so that the edges flow together. Use
silk pins first to make sure its straight. Then
use a sewing machine or a normal running
stitch to attach the two pieces.
Make Folds
The next part is the tricky part. You need to
make the folds nice a smooth so that the tie
is not lumpy at all when you're done. Again,
use the pattern as a guide to where the
folds should be. Fold the pattern along the
fold you are going to make, then place it on
the silk and use the pattern as a guide. I
finished the big end of the tie first before
moving on to the smaller end. Start with the
folds closest to the centerline since those
are the most important in determining the
final shape of the tie. I placed a piece of
cloth over the face of the tie and ironed it
make a crease. Ironing directly on the face
of the silk will sometimes discolor it a little.
Make sure that the tie is folded in such a
way that you can see all the folds when its
sewn up. The folds should alternate as to which side is above the other. Right, left, right, and then
finally left on top. After finishing the bigger section, pin it closed while letting the tie puff up a little
so that you wont get lumps. Wait until the tie is entirely folded before pressing the tie with sharp
creases. Follow the same process for the smaller section.
Use Silk Pins
Pin the tie closed with the silk pins to hold
everything in place. Now you can pick up
the tie and examine it for any lumps. You
can make small adjustments by taking out
certain pins, moving the fabric and then
inserting them back in.
Make the Carrier
Cut out and sew the carrier for the tie. The
carrier is usually cut along the grain of the
fabric. This part is a little frustrating because
after you sew it, you need to flip the small
tube inside out. There is a tool for this I
think, but I didn't have it. I sewed a knot
onto one end. Let the needle drop through
the carrier lengthwise and then pulled the
thread to invert the carrier. Before sewing
the tie closed, slip the carrier into the tie
between the pins and sew it in place
Sew the Tie Closed
Now slowly sew the tie closed with
a slip stitch. As you move along, pull
out the silk pins as you approach them.
Make sure to leave enough of the tie
open so that you can see the folds.
This should be right below the carrier.
Also make sure that you do not sew all
the way through the tie and have the
thread showing on the front. When
you're done, make a loop or something.
But before you make a knot at the end,
remove the needle from the thread and
then simulate putting on a tie. Wrap it
around your neck and gently pull on
both sides and run your fingers all the
way to the tips. This is done so that the
thread is as long as the tie can stretch. Otherwise you may break the thread when actually putting
the tie on. Or it will cause the tie to bunch up and appear very lumpy after you put it on. I'm not
exactly sure on how to finish the slipstitch. After the tie is closed, fold the carrier down and sew
the two sides to the tie with the slipstitch again.
Press the Tie
Now that all the sewing is done, the
tie might still be a little puffy. What I
did was place a piece of cotton cloth
over the tie, spray it lightly with water
and then iron it at the silk setting. This
was enough to evaporate the water
and press through to make a nice
strong crease on the silk.
All Done
Now that its done, you can compare it
an everyday tie and be amazed. Then
you can put it on and be even more
amazed at how nice it feels.