“Tying” Up a Scrappy Quilt

Published on by Tracy @ It's a T-Sweets Day!

Good Morning to you!  It is Scrap Happy time again:).  I always look forward to linking up with Kate over at Tall Tales from Chiconia each month.  

This month’s project is one that I actually feel guilty about.  My sister-in-law’s father passed away back in 2015.  She gave me his ties and asked if I could make a quilt from them for her.

I carefully deconstructed them,  lightly pressed them and placed them in a box to work on after Christmas presents and wedding preparations, and then more quilts, and then they just kind of got forgotten.  I feel so bad!

I was cleaning through things and looked in the box,  and uh oh! I knew that now was the time.  No more waiting for this one!

  • I took the piles of deconstructed ties and cut them into  1.5″ to 2.5″ strips.  I didn’t care how many.  I just cut until I had cut the whole tie.
  • I cut 30 – 8.5″ Scrap fabric from some of my sub quality fabrics.  They really do make great stabilizers!
  • I started sewing strips from the center corner out on both sides.   I didn’t care at all about what width of strip I was using. 

  • When I was finished sewing strips to a block, the whole base was covered as in the top left photo.
  • I turned the block over and trimmed the block nice and square.
  • I then sewed around the edges to keep the ties from shifting.


Here is a picture of my neatly stacked blocks.  Aren’t they pretty?

  • Next I cut 36- 2.5″x8.5″ strips from a complimentary brown fabric (manly of course!) 
  • Then I laid out my blocks going in opposite directions.  A beautiful diamond design magically appeared!
  • I labeled each row with tape to make sewing the rows easier.   I could easily take them all piled together by row to my sewing machine and not get mixed up as I sewed along:)
  • I measured the length of the strips and cut 7 more 2.5″ strips that length and sewed the quilt together.

Here it is all pieced and ready for quilting.


While it looks nice before quilting, it looks especially fantastic after quilting!


The added texture and binding really help to “tie” it all together.  Lol:)!


I backed this quilt with an olive green plaid flannel.   I was surprised with how much I liked it:)


Now it is time to fold it up and get it to my sister-in-law, FINALLY!  I know she is going to be overjoyed❤️


Thank you for dropping by today.  I hope you have SWEET, Scrap Happy day!

78 thoughts on ““Tying” Up a Scrappy Quilt”

      1. I love the way u made this quilt! I have made tons of string quilts but not with ties and sashing‼️ This quilt truly rocks‼️ A job well done‼️

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    2. Hey. I enjoyed this tutorial. However, I have a question. When you sewed tie strips to 8 1/2 each fabric square, did you turn edges of ties under? It appears that you did. I was afraid they would ravel.

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      1. Sew each next strip of fabric face to face on your square. Then press that piece out and lay the next on it. Remember to put the two right sides together before stitching.

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  5. Wow — this is beautiful! I am overflowing with ties that I have been saving to do a quilt. Is the fabric for the dashing also silky or is it a nice cotton? Thank you.

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  7. Tracy, The quilt turned out amazing! What an awesome way to turn a father’s ties into a cherished memory quilt. I am convinced your family member would totally forget about the delay the minute she sees the quilt. Simply amazing! 🙂

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  8. What a gorgeous quilt! The ties certainly give it a masculine look and they add an element of interest that I don’t think could be replicated with any other fabric. I’m sure your sister-in-law will be thrilled. It might be like getting a hug from her father.

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  13. That’s an awesome tie quilt! Very masculine, but cozy, too. Looks like it would be at home on a well worn in leather sofa. Thanks for showing how to stabilize the ties, I’ve wondered how that’s done. It certainly makes a wonderful keepsake. 🙂

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    1. Hi Deb! I’m so glad you like this memory Tie Quilt:). I think I only had like 20 ties and my quilt finished to 52×60. You can definitely add more squares for a larger quilt. You could even add filler scraps of Dads old shirts if you need more fabric:)❤️

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  20. This is beautiful, I have been collecting ties for some time now and quilt idea will be added to my list of things to do with them. I have made wreaths, covered lamp shades, that was fun and they look great, I have also woven the ties together to make chair seat covers and table centerpieces, they all turned out fine but I have never made a quilt out of them. Love this idea! Thank you so much. I just finished a T Shirt quilt out of my granddaughters soccer jerseys for her high school graduation, I hope she will love and enjoy it.
    Sharon

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    1. Way to go Sharon! You are the tie queen:). I bet the chair set covers were especially beautiful. And for sure it is time for a Tie Quilt! This method is really easy and quite impressive. I hope you will give it a try. If you do, please send me a note and a picture or two. I would love to see it. ❤️❤️

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  21. How long did it take you. I ‘ve been collecting toes from all around the world as well as from friends and thrift shops. I still doing it as I can visualize it but doing it is another. You have inspired me to get busy

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  22. Hi Brenda! I’m so glad I found your quilt on pinterest. I love it. I have a question for you: Have you any idea how many ties you used to make this stunning quilt? I’m asking, because I have quite a pile of old ties from my late brother and I have promised my niece to turn them into a quilt. I want to be sure that I’ve got enough so that I’m not standing there lacking a couple of ties, which even when I’ve sewn them together into blocks will not match the other blocks. I hop you understand, what I’m saying. I’m from Denmark and know some English, but sometimes I can’t quite express what I’m meaning. I hope very much to hear from you.

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    1. Hello Liz! It is so very nice to meet you:)! I had 22 ties. That was enough to make this lap quilt with a bit left over. This quilt is very forgiving. You can make it bigger by adding more blocks or widening the sashing . I think 25-30 ties and a bit smaller sashing would look spectacular as well. Good luck with your quilt! I would love to hear how it goes:) —Tracy❤️❤️

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  24. What did you mean about deconstructing the ties? Did you pull everything apart and take out the stiffing in the inside?

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  25. Hi Tracy! The quilt is beautiful! Can you tell me how you sewed the ties to the stabilizer? From the back (stabilizer side) it looks like you just stitched them right to the fabric, but from the front (tie side) I don’t see any stitching. Did you see the inner (folded) side of the tie to the stabilizer? Sorry if I’m missing the obvious but I just can’t figure it out. I’ve been collecting silk ties from estate sales and have so many projects in mind, I’d love to try this one!
    Thanks!

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    1. Hello Linda! Start with one tie strip face up diagonal on the stabilizer fabric. Place your next strip face down right on top of the first piece. Right sides together matching the edge you are going to sew. Sew 1/4 inch from the edge of one side. Flip open and press. Add another strip on top of this strip right sides together matching the edge . Stitch and flip. Repeat until one side is covered and then repeat on the other half of the diagonal. —. I hope this helps. Good luck. I’m sure you will find this very quick and easy ❤️❤️

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  28. What a beautiful quilt! I’ve got a box full of old ties and was looking for the perfect project and this is it. Now that my husband is retired I want to use the ties from his working days as a gift to him. My questions are about your beautiful quilting. What kind of thread did you use? Did you use the same color thread or switch it around? Is this an all over pattern or did you quilt the squares and the sashing differently? Sorry to bombard you but I can’t tell from the pictures. Final question – given the backing on the ties and the flannel back, what kind of batting did you use? Thanks so much for sharing this and for the inspiration!

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    1. Hi Barbara! Thank you for stopping by:). This is going to be a great quilt for your husband’s ties. I used the same color thread for Quilting the all over meander quilt pattern. It matched the sashing. I always use a cotton batting because I like the weight it gives to the quilt. Once again, thank you for your comment. I love questions and am always happy to help. I hope you have a SWEET day! —Tracy❤️❤️

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  29. Did you add a lightweight fusible web to the back of the ties before you started cutting them up? I have read that some people do that when using the ties for quilts. Your quilt is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

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  30. What perfect timing to have your beautiful quilt and tutorial appear first on my Pinterest this morning. My 90 year old sister-in-law recently passed leaving her 63 year old son who has MS alone (she was his caregiver). He will be going to a nursing home in the near future. I know he would love the tie quilt and plan to make one after seeing yours. I was wondering if the quilt is washable or needs dry cleaning? Perhaps a wall hanging would be better. The thought of making a tie quilt was a bit overwhelming until I saw your tutorial. Thank you so much. Ilene

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    1. Hello Ilene!—. Thank you so much for your kind comment:). I’m so sorry to hear about your sister and her son. I am sure this tie quilt would be a true joy to make and to give. A wall hanging would work, but it isn’t a really intricate quilt…I personally would take the risk of washing if needed. Add a soft flannel or minky back and this one will be a comfort wrap of memories! I’m so glad you stopped by today. I hope you give this quilt a try. Please let me know how it turns out if you do! Have a great weekend—Tracy❤️❤️

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  31. Hello, I am cutting my dads old ties right now. I am new to making quilts but have made some. How do you see the brown strips on? Do you sew the squares together first? Never made one like this have only done squares. Any advice would help! Thank you so much for posting this. I am excited to have a quilt from my dads ties. Sure do miss him!

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    1. Hi Marilyn! How wonderful that you are starting your first sashed quilt. Really, it is quite easy. Sew strips to one side of all the blocks then sew another strip to the bottom of each block. Sew the blocks together on rows and add a strip to the side without a sash. Sew the rows together. Add a final strip to finish. I hope that makes sense. Thank you so much for dropping by. I’m excited for your tie quilt! Have a super wonderful day! —Tracy:)❤️

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  32. I am getting ready to start your tie quilt. My question to you is do the ties need to be washed prior to getting started. It seems that they should be or the quilt will draw up. I appreciate your answer.
    Linda Lucke

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  33. I’m so glad you posted this quilt project! I had 30 of the ties my husband never wears ready to donate to Goodwill. I just couldn’t do it! Finding this string quilt enabled me to create a beautiful family heirloom. My husband even helped take apart the ties!

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  34. Hey Tracy! I just found this beautiful tie quilt. I have 38 ties that belonged to my dad. I want to make a lap quilt for me, my 2 sisters, my brother and my mom. Do you think I would have enough ties? Thanks, Anita

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      1. Did you wash your ties before or after deconstruction? I have a box full of ties that I have had for many years and should finally make a quilt. Yours looks lovely. Thank you for sharing.

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  35. Tracey – such a beautiful quilt. Do I need a specific bias square ruler to square up blocks or will a regular 8.5 inch square ruler work?

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