The Anatomy of a Tie

I was recently asked by a friend to piece a silk tie crazy quilt top for her. I spent several hours over two days dissecting ties. I am now an expert on the anatomy of a tie. Having never worked with ties or silk before, I had a lot to learn. I was given two trash bags full of ties. One had a green piece of paper in it that read "First Choice." The second bag was to be used only if I needed more.

The process was actually an exciting walk around the world and through history. There were ties from so many different countries. Many of them depicted scenes from historic events or cultural icons. Everything from The Metropolitan Opera and Harley Davidson to Cirque du Soleil and The Phillies. There was even a tie covered with Jewish themes that included a picture of Chaim Potok's book, The Chosen. That might have been one of the best moments because it is one of my favorite books. Read it if you haven't already!

Some ties still had the price tag on them. After about the first five or so, I got on a roll. Taking them apart became an issue of muscle memory. I was also given 56 8" block foundations. Each block has 5 pieces. I began cutting. 

Silk is a funny fabric with a mind of its own. Some ties were very thick, and others were incredibly thin. The thinner the silk, the more it rebelled. It frays, it jiggles, it morphs....seriously doesn't like to be told what to do. However, my parenting skills kicked in, and I learned some tactics :)

So, as of right now, I only have 8 blocks done but will have 32 completed by the end of the day......UNLESS....some crazy something happens (which recently has been the norm) that totally interrupts the flow of my day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday yesterday. Happy Thursday!