Lolita Tie tutorial

This kind of tie doesn't seem to be very popular at the moment. The big bow kind seems to be rather more in vogue. However as I've finally got round to making a less scruffy version of my tie pattern I thought I would put it up here with a bit of a tutorial. They are still very cute.





Here's what you need to do.

First you'll need the pattern. Click on image of the pattern on the left and it should open up nice and big. Right click and 'save image as' to your computer. It should print out on A4 or letter size paper just fine. Make sure it doesn't 'crop' or 'scale' when its printing out.

• You'll also need some scraps of fabric - large enough to cut 2x piece A and 1x piece B. If you fabric is very lightweight you might need a bit of interfacing.
• Some ribbon - enough that it can easily tie around your neck in a bow.
• Some bits of lace, ribbon, buttons etc for decoration.

Pattern info:
As you can see the pattern pieces overlap - so its probably best to trace piece B onto another bit of paper before cutting out A.
The dotted lines on piece A are for if you want to make a thinner tie.

Getting started:

1. Cut two 'A' pieces and one 'B' piece from your fabric.

2. Sew any decorations you like onto the front of one A piece, sewing your lace facing inwards as shown. (sounds a bit weird, but it all gets turned inside out at the end.)

3. Take the second A piece and pin it on top of the first one - front sides together. Sew nearly all the way around the edge leaving a gap along the side of the thin bit at the top. There's not a lot of seam allowance - only about 5-10mm.

4. You should have a tie shape with the lace etc on the inside. Turn it inside out. Now you can see why we sewed the lace pointing inwards - its pointing outwards now! Use a slip stitch to close the gap and maybe give it a quick iron.

5. Now we need to attach the 'knot' and ribbon. Fold over
the thin top part of the tie backwards and put in a couple of stitches to hold it in place.

6. Thread your ribbon through the gap. (You could also use a band of fabric with a button or velcro, but I'm using ribbon here to show the basic idea.) Sew the long edges of piece B together. Turn the tube inside out and iron it flat with the seam in the middle. You shouldn't be able to see the seam from the front now.

7. Next wrap this around the where you have stitched down the top part of the tie. Sew the back edges of the 'knot' together keeping the seam on the inside.

8. Done. Use the ribbon to tie it around the collar of your blouse.