Tie Up the Year!

Never am I happier in the sewing room than when I am repurposing. 

 I love the challenge of taking a throw away, overused, over loved, cherished something, and extend it's life by making something new out of it.  This has happened with old quilts, old sweaters, old blouses, skirts and this past holiday season, I took on ties.  I credit my pastor with this last foray into re purposing.  Last summer in a sermon illustration, he mentioned his large collection of ties.  Being a professor and minister and former coach, he is used to having ties handy for all those professional appearances.  And he stated, he likes his favorite old ones but he does like receiving new ones as gifts.  He said that he really doesn't like to get rid of them and his ample collection showed that completely.  Exiting the church that morning, I told him, while shaking his hand, that I was the woman for the job.  I almost challenged him to bring on his tired, his poor, his huddled masses of used ties into my very eager sewing room.  I would show him that most things can be made new again. 

 Including his rather humbled parishioner.

 Fast forward to this fall.
The pastor's father in law became very ill and after a few months of terrible illness, he died.
Pastor's Wife, working through her grief and father's possessions, had a remembrance of my Tie Challenge issued to her husband.  The next Sunday, she brought to me a very large shopping bag FULL of an assortment of lovely silk ties. In deep appreciation for the care giving that she gave her father (because I took care of my father for three years) and just wanting to do something special for the whole sweet family after an intense year for them, I set to plotting my next repurposing project.

 For days, I played with the ties.  I looked over each one and wondered what was their story.  I pictured the ceremonies, the business appointments, the church dinners, the family gatherings that these ties visited.  I checked out the labels and content.  Then during the night, after a Menopausal Wakeful Event, I had the Eureka Moment!  I knew that a mama's collection Family Birthday Banner would be the perfect gift for all of them and for many birthday events, Grandpa/Dad would be in attendance via his Tie Collection!


I had received from the owner of a bed and breakfast I visited (simplepleasuresbnb.com) this past fall, a stack of jewel tone shirt remnants which made the perfect backing.  A package of vintage blanket binding made the perfect hanger ribbon. A scrap of vintage velour made the perfect little storage bag and an additional tie made a monogram for the bag, just to be swanky.  Because this family has a collection of the dearest blond haired girls, a bit of whimsy was accomplished by little bells, courtesy of Pauline's Vintage Auction Opportunity sonowiknow.blogspot.com/2009/08/sabbath-auction.html, and the Tie Birthday Banner was complete and ready for Christmas Gifting!

Just because I wanted to see how the ties looked as a quilt project, I even used some for a pillow top! Seems that there is an endless use (2) for the silky, well interlined pieces of former gentleman's fashion accessory.


Before you throw out.....Anything....give it a second glance, give it a different eye, then give it to me.....!
Second Chance Sewing....Gotta love it...!!