It’s Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Freebies and today we have a freebie for the boys! I love having coordinated outfits for the fam, especially for special occasions such as family pictures, holiday parties, etc. A bow tie is the perfect little accessory to quickly & easily coordinate your boys’ outfits with yours & your daughter’s! I’ve even included an Adult size if you can convince your men to match, too! 😉 These dapper little bow ties are pretty quick to sew up, take a very small amount of fabric, and make a great gift for every stylish guy you know!

 

Download your Free pattern here, or you can simply cut the Bow Tie from the measurements given below.  If you need help putting the pattern together, pop over to the faqs and troubleshooting page or ask in the facebook group .

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Supplies Needed: 

• Woven Fabric: 1/4 yard for babies & kids, 3/8 yard for Adults. Quilting cotton, chambray, flannel, etc.
• 3-4″ of Velcro OR 2-3 snaps, such as Kam Snaps.
• Optional, but recommended: Lightweight or Midweight Fusible Interfacing. I prefer Pellon 931TD Fusible Midweight.
• Basic sewing supplies: scissors and/or rotary cutter, pins/wonderclips, coordinating thread, iron, hand sewing needle (optional).
• All seam allowances are 1/2″.
• Baby size is recommended for newborn through 2 years, Kids size from 2-3 years to 12 years, and Adult size for teens & men. The length of the neckband can be adjusted by cutting the width of the neckband smaller or larger than the measurements in the chart below.

I recommend reading through the instructions entirely at least once before beginning your project!

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Fabric Cutting Chart (or use printable pattern pieces, download the pattern here)

Step 1:

Print and assemble the pattern. Cut out all pieces and press well. Optional (but recommended): Apply fusible interfacing to the wrong side of 1 top layer bow and 1 bottom layer bow, according to manufacturer instructions.

Step 2:

Place both Top Layer Bow pieces right sides together & pin or clip around all edges. Sew around all 4 edges, being sure to leave about 1.5″ open for turning.

 

Step 3:

Trim seam allowances to 1/4″ and clip corners. Do not trim seam allowance at the opening.

Step 4:

Turn bow right sides out, and poke corners out with chopstick or turning tool. Tuck the seam allowance in at the opening and press well.

Step 5: 

Handstitch the opening closed, or topstitch around entire bow, making sure to close the opening. Repeat Steps 2-5 with Bottom Layer Bow. Set both bows aside for now.

Step 6:

Take Bow Tie Center piece and fold in half, right sides together. Pin or clip along the long edge, and sew down long edge only. Leave both short ends open. Turn Bow Tie Center right sides out, I like to use a safety pin to turn out. Press well and set aside.

Step 7:

Lay your Neckband piece in front of you, wrong side up. Press one short end over 1/4″.

Step 8:

Leaving the one short end turned under, fold neckband in half right sides together. Pin or clip along the raw long edge & the raw short edge. Stitch down the raw short edge and the raw long edge, being sure to catch the 1/4″ that is turned under in the side seam. The short edge that is turned under should be left open for turning.

Step 9:

Trim seam allowance and clip corners. Use a chopstick or turning tool to turn neckband right sides out and poke the corners out. Press well. The edge that we pressed under in Step 7 will already be turned in, pin and edgestitch closed.

STOP!! and try the neckband on the wearer, if possible! Make sure to try it on with a collared shirt to account for the bulk of the collar. You will want the neckband to overlap in the back by 1/2″ at the very least. I prefer to have it overlap by 2″-4″ roughly so it can be adjustable.

Step 10:

Find the horizontal & vertical center point of the neckband, top layer bow, and bottom layer bow. Stack all 3 layers together and pin in the center. Tack all 3 layers together with about 1/4″ of stitching at the middle.

Step 11: 

Take all 3 layers (which are now tacked to each other) and pinch/fold the bow tie down the center, like an accordion. Wrap some thread around the center and tie in a knot to hold the shape.

Step 12:

Lay your bow tie center piece on top of the bow, right side down. Wrap around to the back of the bow tie and pin or clip in the center. Sew the center piece together, getting close to the bow tie. You want the center piece to be snug around the bow tie, but not too tight or it will be difficult to turn right side out.

Step 13: 

Trim the excess from the center piece, and flip it right side out. It will take a little maneuvering. Now the seam and raw edges are enclosed. Alternatively, you could attach the Bow Tie Center right side out and hand stitch together at the back of the bow tie.

Step 14: 

Add 3-4″ of velcro (the scratchy side) to the right side at one end of the neckband. At the other end of the neckband, add 2-3″ of velcro (the softer side) to the wrong side of the neckband.

Alternatively, you could add a few snaps at the ends of the neckband so it is adjustable, OR you can try the neckband on the wearer and mark where you want to add your snaps. If you do the last option, be sure to try it on with a collared shirt to account for the bulk added by the collar.

And you’re done!! We can’t wait to see the adorable bow ties you create! As always, I would love for you to share in our Made for Mermaids Facebook Group and tag us on Instagram #madeformermaids #madeformermaidspatterns 🙂 See you tomorrow!

12 Days of Christmas Freebies
December 1 – 12, 2016
Day 1 ~ Handwarmer Muff for Child and Dolly
Day 2 ~ Hippie Headband for Mama and Child
Day 3 ~ Ribbon Bookmarks

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