Q&A for How to Make a Bow Tie

There are many ways to do it! You can style it in a classical way with a button and a shirt. If you're a feminine leaning person, you can also do it in your hair or do it on your wrist and kind of double tie it!

The finished length of a bow tie is about 5 1/2 inches for the 'bow' portion on each side, plus neck length: 20 inches plus 11 inches equals 31 inches. If sewing one, you'll cut 2 pieces to sew together, use half that 31 inch measurement, plus 1 extra inch for fabric margins (1/2 inch seam allowance, on each end) per piece, making it 16 1/2 inches per pattern piece which you'll sew together to fit a 20 inch neck. 20 inches is a really big neck size, always check the exact measurement with a tape measure (measure around the shirt collar that will be worn with it), and the shirt label's neck size (measure everything twice).

To make a quick bow tie, start with a 9 by 3 in (22.9 by 7.6 cm) rectangle of stiff fabric and fold the rectangle in half so that the short edges are lined up. Then, cut out a 3 by 1 in (7.6 by 2.5 cm) strip of fabric for the center of the bow. Glue the bow between the folds with a hot glue gun and then wrap the strip of fabric around the center of the bow and secure it with hot glue.

Start with the bowtie lying face up and adjust the right side so it's slightly shorter than the left. Take the end of the right side and cross it over the left side. Bring the right side under the left side and pass it through the neck loop. Where the material forms a joint, fold the left side towards the right then back to the left to create the bow shape. Bring the left side down over the middle of the bow and then fold it back towards the chest and pinch the fold. Push the pinched fold through the loop behind the bow and pull on the bow to tighten it.

It depends on the event and what the bow tie actually looks like. For example, it wouldn't be professional to wear a red and yellow polka dot bow tie to a funeral, but you could absolutely wear a sleek black bow tie to a formal event. A bow tie can make a bold and confident statement, but it shouldn't diminish the significance of an event.