My good friend’s son is turning five soon…

He’s a total cutie dapper dan, always dressed cute and preppy with his hair spiked up just so. So of COURSE he NEEDS a tie shirt with fabric to match his train-themed birthday celebration. And I was just the girl to make that happen for him.

So here’s how to make the tie:

First, cut the three pieces for your tie: the knot shape, the tie shape, and the back liner. The liner needs to be the size or bigger of the knot and tie pieces together, and it can be trimmed later. The tie length depends on how tall your child is. [The tie I made for this about-to-be five-year-old is 11.5″ long (2″ knot & 9.5″ tie) and 3″ wide at widest point (2″ at narrowest).

Join the knot piece to the tie piece where they meet at the bottom of the knot/top of the tie flap, sewing right sides together. Then lay those two (now joined into one) tie pieces face down on the piece of face-up scrap fabric. [I choose a lightweight fabric scrap I had lying around because it is thin and would not show through the train fabric.]

Sew around the perimeter of the tie (& knot), then trim the excess lining fabric.

Flip over your tie and make a slit a few inches long up the middle of the liner, staying away from the seams.

Use this slit opening to pull your tie right side out.

Press it flat.

[The back side will look like this.]

Finally, place and pin it to the shirt, then sew it down, following the perimeter of the tie with a straight stitch.

And voila!

Ready to party at the train birthday, wheeeee!

Come back Friday to see the totally adorbs little peek-a-boo ruffle skirt I made for the birthday boy’s little sister, wheeeeee!