Here is how to make a necktie skirt… Start with about 15 ties for a 29 or 30-inch waist. Set one aside for the waistband. Cut each tie about 16 inches long for a not-too-short mini skirt. IMPORTANT: locate and draw up the basting thread used in the construction of the tie to sew the back seam. Seal off this thread by stitching across the top of each tie about 1/4 inch from the top cut edge. Arrange the ties to please. Stitch them together starting at the bottom with a solid bartack then use a decorative triple zigzag. I use the #7 stitch on my Bernina Artista, finish the top with another bartack. Join fourteen ties together, checking for fit. Add a 9-inch skirt zipper between the last two ties (zipper goes in back.) Stitch up the seam below the zipper, finishing with a bartack. Topstitch around the entire top unfinished edge of the skirt. The last tie is for your waistband. Baste first, then topstitch the front long edge. Fold the tie over to the inside and handstitch. Tie the ends of the tie into a modified windsor knot to cover the zipper in back. DONE. This is a brief explanation and if anyone has any questions please write – thanks for reading my blog.

Since the ties are cut on the bias (the diagonal) it is their nature to skew. I try to minimize this in two ways: First, cut the ties short (mine are 16 inches long) the longer the piece is, the greater the tendency to slant. Another way to minimize this is to start in the center front of the skirt and add the ties first to one side and then to the other. I can explain why this seems to minimize the slant, but it does.