One day during one of my weekly visits to the local charity shops, some beautiful silk ties caught my eye. I was fascinated by the textures and patterns, and brought them home to add to my hoard of craft materials. Two of the ties looked exceptionally good together, and I have always loved the look of japanese obi belts, and that is how I started making belts out recycled ties! Since then I have never tired of finding the perfect pairing for all the ties I come across...

All the ties I choose to use are second-hand. I sew the ties together, but I also sew seams all along the edges and the center of the ties to reinforce them by attaching the lightweight silk to the solid interfacing inside. This makes the ties much more resistant to typical curling or creasing. All the ties have been inspected for flaws, but please keep in mind that these items have had previous lives and may have a bit of wear & tear, no matter how thorough my inspection. Be sure to let me know if there is something I overlooked!

Care: All tie belts should be dry cleaned, but in cases of dire need they can be hand-washed and dried flat, then ironed :)

***********************************************

All my tie belts can be worn in slightly different ways, and customers keep discovering new bows and knots to make them even more interesting! They wrap around, and fit all waist sizes. They are between 7 and 8 feet long!

Here is a basic description of how to best wear the belts:

- Hold the belt open and place it against your stomach, preferably so that the bottom half is over your belly button (if it is too low, it will crease every time you sit down or bend over...)
- If you want to have the "pocket", make sure the ties are placed so that the opening is towards the top.
- Wrap it around your waist and bring the ends back towards the front. I personally prefer to tie the belt towards one side, and I try to choose the color that is towards the bottom of the belt and put it across the top of the other color to "frame" it. Sometimes it looks nice across the middle, too.
- I generally tie the belt with a half-bow, but a full bow can be fun and feminine, and it is also possible to tie both ends behind the back (for smaller-sized people only, unfortunately..). People above size 14 may find it difficult to wrap the belt around twice, but can simply tie a bow in back or to the side - it looks great too!
- The belt should be fairly tight, but avoid yanking or pulling knots too hard as this could damage the seams! A firm pull should be enough to keep it on all day. If you notice the belt creasing too much, try wearing it higher or lower.
- Some people like to wear them lower on the hips - they can look quite nice there too. they can even look good worn as headbands! Wear them however you like... (and let me know if you discover any more interesting ways to wear them!)

Enjoy!

Rose