In a few days it will officially be summer! Summer means a lot of crazy, cool things: wedding season, prom, Father’s Day is this weekend, parties with friends, backyard BBQ’s (I never say no to those). Let’s face it though, all of these events are awesome, but they mean one thing – you’re going to need something cool to wear. That’s where I come in. I’ve been obsessed with the wooden bow tie trend and have officially decided to hop on board. These puppies were mega easy to make and didn’t require any sewing on my part (mostly because I suck at sewing). Also, I got to use my extra large scrap pile for the job; so, bonus points for me.

How To Make Wooden Bow Ties

DIY Wooden Bow Ties YouTube Tutorial

Psst… did you know there’s a YouTube tutorial for this project!? Check it out and make sure to subscribe for more projects!

How To Make Wooden Bow Ties: Step-By-Step Tutorial

Wooden bow ties are not only a great accessory to show off at parties, but are also an awesome gift. If you’re looking for something special for that handsome dresser in your family, this is definitely the way to go.

To make life easier, I decided to create a FREE template for this project. You can print out the template and cut out the designs when making your own. Everything is already sized for you (because I love you all).

Also, because I have a YouTube channel now. If you don’t feel like reading, you can watch the tutorial (and hear me rant) by clicking on this link.

Let’s get to it.

What You’ll Need:

Tools
Band Saw/Jig Saw
Bow Tie Template
Sander
Clamp
Scissors
Pencil
Straight Edge/Ruler

Materials
Wood
Fabric
Elastic Bands
Velcro
Stain/Sealer
Rag/Paint Brush
Wood Adhesive
Fabric Adhesive (or thread)

The Steps:

1. Print out the template for the bow ties and cut out the design(s) you’d like to use.

2. Tape the design to your piece of wood and trace.

3. Use your band saw or jig saw to cut out the bow tie.

4. Sand away any imperfections.

5. Use a wet rag or paper towel to get rid of any dust before staining and sealing.

6. Stain or seal your bow tie. Make sure to leave a bare strip in the middle of the tie for the glue.

7. As your bow tie dries, cut 2″ strips of fabric. These will go in the center of your bow ties.

8. Fold the rough edges in toward the middle of the fabric strip and glue or sew them together (I used DAP Rapid Fuse All Purpose Adhesive for this part because let’s face it, I can’t sew). Place a heavy object on top of the fabric so that it dries flat.

9. As your strip dries, cut your elastic bands to size. I made mine 18″ so that they are able to fit a collar that ranges from 15″ to about 25″.

10. Cut your velcro strips to the size of the elastic band.

11. Adhere your velcro to the elastic. Again, I used liquid adhesive here, but if you can sew, go for it. Just make sure you are applying the strips to the right sides of the elastic. You want them to be able to attach and form a perfect circle. This will be your collar piece.

12. Use a wood adhesive to attach the fabric piece from earlier to the center of your bow tie. Wrap it around the bow tie about two times.

13. Thread your elastic band through the fabric strip. I chose not to glue mine down because I may want to change it out in the future.

14. Once you are happy with the placement of the elastic, glue the final piece of the fabric strip down and trim off any excess fabric. Make sure to use a clamp or heavy object to hold everything in place until the adhesive dries.

Now force your family members to wear them in your photos and also make sure to bribe them into wearing them to parties. You never know who may want one!

This project only took about an hour to make – which, is awesome. So, although I’m late to the Father’s Day party this year, if you have some time and need a last minute gift, this one is a winner. Cool part is, although I used glue for the majority of the project, my other half has already worn his bow tie to several occasions and it’s still going strong!

I hope you guys loved this project as much as I did! Again, if you’d like to see the step-by-step in action, make sure to visit me on YouTube and subscribe to my videos. Also, make sure to tag me in your project posts! I frequently stalk the #diyhuntress and #diyhunted tags on Instagram and Facebook.

Oh! Just in case you wanted to save this project for a very special future occasion, you can use this image to Pin it for later!

Until next time…

* Some of the products used in this post have been sponsored by DAP Products. All opinions, tutorials, decisions for product use, and handsome models are my own.