How to Make a Necktie Chair
- 1). Dig up at least 40 men's neckties to get your project off the ground. If you don't have a supply on hand, solicit donations from friends who need an excuse to clean out their closets or buy them at resale shops, second hand stores or flea markets. Launder the ties in cold water using a gentle cycle and either air dry them or put them into the dryer on a gentle cycle.
- 2). Purchase an old or new chair frame. If your objective is to recycle all of the components of your project, check out the places you visited when you searched for ties or peruse salvage yards for chair frames that can be rehabilitated.
- 3). Strip off the chair frame's existing paint finish. Sand and repaint the chair frame using a stain color that complements your other home furnishings. Apply a sealer to protect the stained wood and then allow the chair to dry thoroughly.
- 4). Use large safety pins to secure 20 ties to one side of the chair frame in a side-by-side row. Alternate the ties so you place one "thick" tie end beside each "thin" tie end until all 20 ties are pinned in place. Attach the 20 ties tautly to both sides of the frame with a commercial staple gun, length of monofilament or an industrial-strength cord and needle so the 20 ties create a strong horizontal row.
- 5). Attach just one side of the other 20 ties to the opposite rung of the chair seat frame with safety pins, alternating thick and thin tie ends as you did when you secured the horizontal row of ties. Start weaving the vertical ties into the horizontal ones, using the "over and under" method of basket weaving to complete the seat. Pull the ends taut and secure them with more staples, monofilament or cord.
- 6). Spray the woven tie seat on both sides with a Scotchgard product. This application will tighten the weave and add a stain-resistant protective coating to the chair, a particularly important step if your tie chair is going to be used at your kitchen table or you've woven the chair for a child.
