Crafty sewers - help!

[Anita18]

So I got it into my head that I'm going to make ties for the male members of my wedding party. I've never made ties, so I looked at several patterns online and all of them call for lightweight fusible interfacing. One even calls for heavyweight sew-in interfacing.

Joann's had a fabric sale on the Waverly brand recently. I looked and LOVED their patterns so I bought a crapload of stuff. 100% cotton, all the same, right? It's not - it's all home decor fabric, much stiffer than I expected. I still love the way the patterns look, so I'm still planning to go through with it and make the ties. But will I really need the interfacing if the fabric is already stiff and not soft/drapey to begin with?

Any tie-making tips for a sewing n00b like me?

[Anita18]

LOL and I just realized that "sewers" makes it sound gross instead of related to sewing....admin help here?

[Skittl1321]

You've just found out the reason why lots of bloggers call themselves sewists.

As for the ties- the answer is probably- make one and see how it goes. I would think that home decor fabric doesn't need lightweight interfacing, as it is already stiff enough that the drape will not be effected. However, I think heavyweight interfacing might be such that it makes it even stiffer- but to me, that doesn't make sense for a tie. I mean, you still want some flow to the fabric.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I would make one without and then put it on and tie it. It might be too thick to work.

[Reuven]

LOL and I just realized that "sewers" makes it sound gross instead of related to sewing....admin help here?

This plumber was wondering about that...

[BigB08822]

I was really confused by this thread title. LOL! Good luck!

[overedge]

If you are dead set on using that fabric, you should take the fabric to a professional tailor and let them worry about it. IME it's really hard to sew a tie and make it look good (as in hang straight, have the right shape, etc.) and is not something that should be tried if you are a sewing n00b. At least not if you want to be able to look at your wedding photos and not shudder....

[FigureSpins]

I think you should use the lightest weight interfacing. In addition to providing stiffness, it manages the bias. Without interfacing, the weave can easily get stretched on the bias and make the fabric difficult to press. One cleaning and the fabric sizing is gone, while the interfacing will continue to provide stiffness.

To me, the hardest part of tie-making is getting the *&^&($ seams to match up on the reverse. I know no one sees that side, but it's a sign of sewing skill to match the plaids, prints, etc. While a tie looks simple, you really have to follow the directions carefully to get it to come out properly. That's why they're so expensive to buy.