Upcycled Silk Tie Flower Broach

There are so many great 100% silk ties that are being donated to thrift stores right now that I decided I had to make something with them. (My local Goodwill sells them for $2.99). These broaches are simple and quick to make and bring new life to an old tie. Paisley, striped, and polka dot are my favorite ties to work with. The more outdated colors and patterns the better! These make great gifts and can be worn to work, to a wedding, or just to dress up a plain white t-shirt!

Old Tie

Scissors

Needle

Thread

Pins

Broach Backing (Could also use a safety pin)

Iron (Optional, but recommended)

Cut the two ends off of your tie, about six inches off the larger side, and about 4 inches from the smaller. You will trim it more later. Using your scissors, remove the stitches from the middle portion of your tie and remove the inside batting. You don't have to, but once you have just the silk material separated from the batting, it helps to iron it flat and remove the folds from the material.

Starting at the smaller end, fold your silk material in half, then fold about two inches down in a 90 degree angle with about and inch extra at the end. Sew a few stitches to secure about half an inch from the top. Wrap a little more of your fabric around the center point and sew a few more stitches. Continue to wrap and sew, making sure to lengthen the fabric as you go to make the petals get bigger. It's important to keep your stitches on the same plane as you go, one on top of the other. They need to be on the same line as you go around the flower since you will be trimming off the excess material later.

Once you have your flower to your desired size, fold the extra material down, add a few more stitches, tie it off, and trim off any extra material. I had about a foot left over of material and you could make a smaller flower if you wanted two flowers on your broach, or make your single flower bigger than my example. Since you are just arranging the "petals" as you go and stitching them in place, you can customize the size and arrangement any way you want.

Arrange your two tie ends as "leaves" with your floral top however you like. (If you have more than one tie it's great to mix and match your leaves and flower.) Once you know about what size works for your base, trim it down leaving half an inch of extra material for seam allowance. Trim and remove the extra inside batting. I kept it in the tips of the leaves, but removed the opposite edge. Tuck the material to the inside to create a clean edge and pin in place. Check again that your flower covers the edges but that the leaves are exposed.

Sew around the outside to close. Sew the leaves together and trim the smaller one as necessary. Arrange the broach backing how you want it positioned when you wear it then sew on your broach backing. If you don't have one you could sew a large safety pin in place.

Arrange your flower on the backing and sew in place. Starting in the middle, sew your flower to the base in small stiches. You can sew through to the backing, but I like to keep the back neater when I'm giving it as a gift and only sew through the top layer of the base. Be sure and only go through the bottom layer of your flower petals so the stiches are not visible from the top of the flower either. Since your flower is folded material, it's not as tricky as it sounds I promise! As you sew out from the center, sew the flower right to the edge of your base. I like to put my finishing knot under the smaller leaf so it's not seen. You can break your tie up into several smaller flowers too (last sunflower tie image), and mix and match patterns and colors on one broach! Be as creative as you like!