Neck Tie Dress Tutorial by Rockerchic

		You'll Need: Sewing Machine Neck Ties (I used about 14 for a 3t size, but had 22 on hand just in case) Oh... NOT Clip Ons! Scissors tailors chalk imagination Getting Started: You'll need the following measurements: Shoulder to Shoulder Chest Waist Shoulder to desired hem Here is how I figured mine out: After you've figured that out... you can loosely guess how many neck ties it will take to get the measurements right. My Chest was 22" so I needed at least 11.5 inches across the "chest" of my neck ties I think I had 7 ties on the front and 7 on the back. When your getting you ties ready to sew... remember that you'll have a tiny little seam allowance and to allow for that. Now your ready to sew.... line the neck ties up from the bottom... line them up where the V stops and the straight line begins. Lay them on top of each other with "right sides together". Sew, leaving a very tiny seam allowance... sew them as close to the edge of the ties as possible... like so: Turn them around and lay them flat... they should look like this: \ I started with the center tie and then added the ties to the oustides of that... Sew them up a little farther than your shoulder to hem measurement just to be safe. First you'll sew th FRONT of the jumper together.. When you think you've met the half of your chest measurement then you've got enough ties for the front... you can lay that aside for now.... Starting on the back... you'll either need to add or take away a tie one more or less than the front peice. You're going to have to put in a zipper or add buttons and a button hole to the back. I had 8 ties in the bac of mine and added buttons... I suggest you add a zipper, it would be so much easier. Instead of starting with the center tie in the back. You'll start with the 2 center ties... you'll have 2 back peices so we can put the buttonholes or zippers in. When you have your back done... lay all of your peices, front and back, on top of each other facing each other as you would if you were sewing them. Now, make sure that the chest measurement is going to work, now is the time to add another tie if you need to. then... measure your shoulder to hem measurement and mark it. When you are happy with the length... then trim off all the ends of the ties. Leave about a half to one inch so you can sew the shoulders together. Add the zipper or buttonholes now if you like... (you can wait till your done too) Sew the front and back together now. When there sewn together... fold the peice in half... like so... Now, we've got to put the armholes and neckline in there. The easiest way to do it is to find a jumper pattern and copy that. I just cut them free hand. When you've cut out the holes... sew the shoulders up. You can either buy Double Fold Bias Tape or make your own. Use that to finish the neckline and armholes. After you do that... the dress should be able to wear! This is what you should end up with: This is a really fun project for the beginner or the seasoned veteran. Just be sure that you have enough materials, and that your measurements are exactly right before you cut anything. Good Luck! Show us your pics when you make them!