Upcycled Bow Tie Belts (shop update)

Let's talk about bows, and ties, and belts for a second, shall we? Not only does today mark a shop update (woohoo!), but it also marks the end of a very long journey from an idea to an actual product. Some of you might remember the original bow tie belt form the fall of 2012 (oh, how young I look back then). Hint, it's the grey with red stripes. I made it, I loved the idea (as did you), but the construction method wasn't sturdy enough and it didn't feel right to sell them when they weren't a 100% there yet. You know what I mean?

I new there had to be a better way to make these cute belts, but I couldn't figure out back then, and so I just let that belt sit with 5 of it's tie companions for 2 whole years waiting for a solution. I'm sorry ties! The good news is that I finally figured it out and now I can sell them with confidence. These are a bunch of awesome belts, I tell you! I considered keeping them all to myself for a split second, but finally talked myself into putting them up in the shop for sale (a girl's got to eat, you know). You're welcome!

Needless to say, since these are made from vintage men's ties, they're all unique. I'm especially in love with the two above. So pretty! I have a thing for bows (see here, here, and here). I guess it's not such a big surprise considering how much I love other cute things like having lace on absolutely everything. Case in point, the black lacy dress I'm wearing in these pictures. I also have a Wardrobe Reinvention post planned on all the ways you could wear these belts in case you're lost on ideas, so stay tuned for that!

If you're wondering about the size (since I'm the one modeling all of them), the ties are a vary slightly in length, but they all fit a range of sizes - longest one fits a waist up to 100cm, and the shortest a waist up to 80cm. They are pretty accommodating.

A little bit about the construction of the belts as well, in case you're interested. As I mentioned in my original idea post, I did manage to make these leaving the ties intact, meaning I didn't cut into the tie. When you pick open all the stitches, you could use it as a tie again. I sewed these mostly by hand, which was a nice change to all the machine sewing I've done lately. I really love how these turned out.

Although I have a lot of shop updates planned in the coming weeks, I promise I won't make all my blog posts about them. But, since my Etsy shop is something I really want to develop and grow this year, there's bound to be more shop-talk on the blog as well. I hope it's fun for you to follow along, and who knows, one day I might make a t-shirt or belt or brooch that's just up your alley.

If you'd like to see more photos of the belts, and maybe even get yourself one, go HERE.

As always, huge thanks for being a part of this blog and for letting me share!
xo. Hanna