A Sentimental Journey for Old Neckties

My sidekick fondly remembers her father wearing a necktie every day to go to work. He had quite a few neckties and when he passed away there were so many of them that I decided to abscond with them and do something crafty. I took a pair of ladder back chairs and wove the neckties into the seats. They flank the fireplace and are a constant reminder of him. The granddaughters who were born after he died have no memory of him. I made each of the girls a special little chair with their Grandfather's neckties as well. If you have neckties from a loved one, why not preserve his memory by turning them into a chair or stool?

Here are the basics for this project:

I see these little stools at yard sales often but the caning is usually shot. 

I got this one for this tutorial.

Pick the item you are going to use (chair, stool, etc) and give it a makeover if it is needed. 

I gave mine a coat of black spray paint since the blue wasn't going to work for me.

Weaving the ties is easy once you do a little prep work. 

Cut the fat end off the ties you will be using.

Start by sewing the first tie to itself on the underside of your stool or chair. 

(Sorry the picture isn't great!)

Next, sew each tie to the previous tie. 

Sew a few ties to each other and wrap them around and around until the top is covered. Squish them together a little and be sure you pull them tight as you wrap them around.

Once the top is covered, bring the last tie underneath, 

around the corner and up to the top to begin the weave. 

Over, under, over, under until you reach the edge.

Flip the stool over and weave the bottom as well. 

This will give you two layers of woven ties and make it more sturdy.

Be sure to pull the ties tight as you go and squish them together so the weave is tight.

Finally, when you reach the end and all the rows of ties are squished together, slip the end of the tie into the opening at the corner of the underside and hide the end. I put a couple of stitches there to keep it in place.

The finished product is useful, and if you've used the ties of a loved one, 

it can hold great sentimental value as well.