Jennifer Stern is a contributor at CraftStylish, a site dedicated to do-it-yourself art and design projects. Below she shares how you can turn Dad's old duds into a flowy new top for yourself!I have a pile of old ties that my dad cast off to me-- it turned out to be a treasure trove of silk fabric! I decided to embark on a design adventure; I wanted to make something out of them that didn't have the "this was made from men's silk ties" look. I took advantage of the fact that neckties are cut on the bias and used them to make a top with a little flutter. After choosing seven or eight ties from the pile, I took them apart. Then I draped them on my dress form. As I played with them, I ended up using two ties over each shoulder, joining them in the center front and back. This created a graceful V-neck. The ties closest to the shoulders created a fluttery cap sleeve. I joined the front and back with a tie on each side, finishing the armholes at the same time! After I finished draping and sewing, I stood back to evaluate the design-- it looked like a top that was made from ties! The telltale prints and colors combined with the pointed tips at the hem were a dead giveaway. I have to admit, it was pretty interesting with the ready-made "handkerchief" hem, but keeping with my original goal, I chopped off the points at the ends of the ties to straighten out the hem. With the weight of the lined points gone, the result was a graceful draping top...I love it!
Head over to the CraftStylish blog for the step-by-step instructions on how to make your own top, along with tons of other stylish how-tos!
