Easter is coming soon! And, Easter tends to bring beautiful handmade dresses for all the pretty little girls. Piles of flowery fabric and stacks of frilly patterns have made their way to sewing rooms everywhere. Boys, on the other hand, are so much harder to sew for when it comes to dress-up clothes! Most of us tend to go for simple and traditional button down shirts and dress pants for our little guys. How about dressing up those plain tops with a fun, personalized, handmade tie . . . or two . . . or a dozen!
Ties are so fast and easy to sew, even ties that fasten with hook & loop tape (like Velcro) or pull on over the head with elastic!
You might even find that your teenage boys will get excited about wearing something mama-made, if it’s a tie made with a great fabric! (I can’t believe how grown-up my Allen looks in this picture! And, for the record, he not only said, “That’s pretty cool,” when he saw the tie, but he also wore it to his writing class this morning.)
Don’t they look handsome? (Even if they all really need haircuts!)
I had to try these ties out with my Everyday Camp Shirts! I wasn’t sure at all how they would work since the Camp Shirt pattern is really meant to be worn as a more casual top. (It doesn’t even have a top button!) I think they look adorable, though! What do you think?
I did find that they look much nicer with the Velcro-type fastener than with the elastic, though. I think that’s because the Camp Shirt has a wider neckline than a traditional button-down dress shirt. How can you resist a sweet little guy in a matching top and tie?! 
I’d say my little guys approve! (Or maybe big sister, Samantha, was making faces behind my back while I was photographing?)
Ready to sew up a batch of ties for all the little boys and young men in your household? I’ve got a tutorial all ready for you! The tutorial includes patterns and instructions for Velcro and Elastic Ties in sizes to fit little ones from 2-4 and from 5-8, and it includes the pattern and instructions for a Traditional Tie for your bigger boys from ages 8 to about 14. You’ll find the tutorial right here: The Totally Terrific Tie Tutorial. If you sew one or two or more, I would love to see!
LOVE this!! And what a handsome crew!!! 🙂
These ties are adorable. And yes, what a handsome group of boys!
These are perfect! Just what I’ve been looking for! Can’t wait to sew up an Everyday Camp Shirt & matching tie for my little man for Easter (along with some new Inside or Out Pocket Pants)! Thanks Bonnie!!
Thank you so so so much! I’m the one that asked on Facebook for a tie tutorial and this is just perfect!
Thank you so much for the suggestion, LesLee! I love how these turned out!
I can’t wait to make a batch of these for my grandsons! Great idea!
Where is the like button? These are great! I have 3 nephew’s coming for Easter, might just have to whip up a few!
Love it! I’ve been looking for a better way to make them for DS, I made him one he wears all the time but I wanted it to look more “real”. He loves wearing one when we leave the house so he can be handsome lol. Your boys are all so big I can’t believe it. Thanks for a great tute!
Thank you thank you! I have 2 little boys and Easter just makes me want to get pregnant so I can have a girl to sew for. Perhaps this will be a less drastic solution. 😉
Love! I will definitely being trying these out! Jackson loves ties!!
Ugh! I typed that reply on my iPhone and apparently autocorrect though I should be Jose today! 😉
LOL! I’ve found that I use autocorrect to my advantage most of the time, but it occasionally makes for some interesting messages. (I once texted Ray from a restaurant that I would be right out, as soon as I was done taking a trip to the Bahrain.)
Looks totally cool.
I made these for St. Patricks day sunday!! Thank you so much for the tutorial. It was totally easy and well written. So easy in fact I might make some more for Easter too! Thanks again!
Here’s the link to see http://bluesusanmakes.blogspot.com/2013/03/st-patricks-day-duds.html
While I did not use your pattern for sewing, YOU ARE A LIFE-SAVER. My kid comes home from Spring pictures at school on Thursday and someone at the daycare UNTIED his pre-tied tie which is very similar to the ones you made. Your pattern taught me how to tie the tie back on the strap! LIFE SAVER!!! Thank you so much!
Love these – thanks so much for the tutorial
Mine printed out a little funny and I couldnt find any info on whether it should be printed in regular portrait or in landscape?
Hi, Rebecca! The printing instructions are on page 2 of the pdf. When printing from Adobe Reader, you want to choose auto rotate and center and print actual size. Do not check “fit to page”.
Made two of these yesterday and they turned out really cute. I am new to sewing and this is actually the first project that I’ve done with my “new” vintage sewing machine. Pretty easy, fun, and way cute. I do need to make them a little longer next time because my boys are pretty tall.
These are great! My little man just asked today for a tie to wear to a wedding on Sunday, so I printed out the pattern and will be helping him choose a fabric tonight!
Thank you so much! I made a fun superhero tie for my son! Your directions are so clear I got it right on the first try (and I am still new to sewing!)!
How do I get this pattern.
I am really new to sewing, but I’m going to try making these for Easter. Is there a rule of thumb for cutting across the grain, on the bias or with the grain?
Hi, Megan! I mention this question on Page 2 of the tutorial. Basically, there are no fast rules. Ties are traditionally cut on the bias, but I cut mine in whatever layout best used the fabric that I had available. Feel free to email me if you have any questions while you’re sewing!
Thank you for the easy tutorial!
I tried it and show one here: http://twoclevermoms.com/fabric-scrap-project-boys-necktie/
I was wondering if you had a pattern for the Traditional Ties for a 3yr old and a 5 yr old?
Hi, Wendi! Right now, I only have the free tie patterns that you see here. For smaller boys, you could try sizing down the big boy tie.
Bonnie- I am sewing a tie for my grandson (age 5) that matches the little girls outfits in his dance recital. However, this is the concern- the material is Lycra and I am wondering how to sew this. Cotton would be so much simpler but not to be. Do I lay the patterns with the grain or across grain or diagonal? I will use a stretch stitch. Do I need interfacing to stabilize the fabric? Thanks so much.
Hi, Thelma! I would use a really lightweight fusible interfacing to stabilize the fabric and then just treat it like a woven. It will end up a little thicker than cotton quilting fabric, but it will behave much better than if you just sew it as is.
i love the robot fabric! do you recall who it’s by?
Isn’t it cute, Esther? It was Rashida Coleman Hale’s very first fabric line. The collection is called “I Heart” and this particular fabric is “Cute Bots”. It’s been a few years since it was released, but you might still be able to find a bit on Etsy or EBay.
Thank you so much for this great pattern and tutorial! I used it to make ties for my son and nephew for my sister’s upcoming wedding!
I love the blue shirts. Do you have a pattern for the shirt. I have been looking for a long sleeve shirt pattern for my grand son he is 3.I hope you can help me! Thank You.
Gorgeous! I love them! Now I just have to find some nice fabric… 🙂
I am sewing the ties. What size do you cut the elastic for the elastic ties. I don’t have a lid available.
Hi, Holly! The elastic measurements are on the top of Page 3 in the tutorial. Just let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks for sharing this pattern. Tomorrow is Harry Potter dress-up day at school and my son now has a Slytherin tie so he can be Draco Malfoy. Your pattern and instructions are wonderful!
I made these ties for my husband and 2 sons as a Father’s Day surprise for my husband since he also graduates with his Master’s degree that day! If you print out 2 or 3 of page 17 (depending on how much extra length you need) and use a 1/4 inch seam allowance instead of 1/2 inch you get a great adult tie!!
Help…..I’ve printed this out 5 times and it looks like a tie for a giant …..I’ve changed the printer to actual size..it still is printing out huge. ..is there something else I can do ??? TIA
Hi Tami,
I emailed you with a longer reply but here’s the short answer:
Don’t worry about it looking so big when you print it out! Of course, please be sure you’ve printed with the correct settings as found here: http://www.hemmein.com/how-to-use-a-pdf-pattern/ .
After reading through the tutorial, take a look at the tutorial photos from page 4 to 5, and you will see how the tie will narrow significantly once you start sewing the sides and turning it right side out! I sewed one up for my 12yr old recently and it fit perfectly! But please don’t hesitate to click reply on my email if you have any more questions about this tutorial or any of the FD patterns. 🙂
This is great, thank you!! I need to make my daughter a tie for her Hermione costume and my printer is out of ink so I can’t print your pattern. Could you tell me the dimensions of the wide end, narrow end, and length of the bigger boys traditional tie so I can wing it? Thanks so very much! 🙂
Hi there,
This is my 1st time Making ties!
I have just printed and cut out your pattern.
I was wondering, how wide & long should the fabric piece for the neck piece be? (The one with the velcro) I can’t seem to find the pattern piece or measurements for it.
Thank you
I can’t find the pattern for the neck piece either. 🙁
The top of page 3 gives you the measurements for the neck piece:
Cut neck pieces according to these measurements:
Size 2-4 Elastic Tie: 3 1/8″ x 7″ Velcro Tie: 3 1/8″ x 16″
Size 5-8 Elastic Tie: 3 1/8″ x 8″ Velcro Tie: 3 1/8″ x 17″
Hope that clears things up! Let me know if I can help with anything else!
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