HARRY POTTER
HOUSE TIE MAKING GUIDE & TUTORIAL

[A] REFERENCES

POSSIBLE MEASUREMENT OF STRIPS Thick Yellow Line - 4.5mm Thin Maroon Gap - 3.5mm Thick Yellow Line - 4.5mm Thick Maroon Gap - 14.5mm Thin Yellow Line - 1mm Thick Maroon Gap - 15mm

[B] MATERIALS

Plain Satin or Cotton Tie (make sure it's PLAIN and not Taffeta aka 2-Tones or something)
Gryffindor: Dark Red/Maroon
Slytherin: Medium Green
Ravenclaw: Medium Blue
Hufflepuff: Mandarin/Mustard/Dark Yellow

Fabric Paint (pebeo Setacolor Opaque, Dylon Fabric Paint etc)
OR
Permanent Paint Marker (Silver FOR Ravenclaw OR Slytherin, Black FOR Hufflepuff & Yellow/Mustard FOR Gryffindor)
OR
Color Ribbons (5mm & 2mm)

Paint Brush
Low Tack Masking Tape
Long Ruler
Clear/Translucent Plastic (OHP Film OR Plain Stencil OR Plain Plastic Piece....as long as not too thin or too hard)
Strong Double Sided Tape
Your Friend's Harry Potter Tie as References

Bowl/Mug of warm water (to wash Paint Brush)
Kitchen Towels/Toilet Paper/Tissue Paper
Newspaper

Iron
Ironing Cloth (White/Unbleached Cotton Cloth like Calico or Cotton Drill)
Ironing Board/Flat Surface (Covered with Cloth)
 

[C] INSTRUCTIONS

METHOD 1 : LOW TACK TAPES MASKING

1) Make sure your Base Tie is clean of any residue. Wash it gently if possible and dry completely

2) With the appropriate measurements at hand, start covering the parts that don't need to be painted with the Low Tack Masking Tape, with the "V" at the end of the Tie as a guide to the degree of slant the lines should be.

3) Start painting the Lines onto the tie, while ensuring that each brush of paint isn't too thick. If too thin, paint on a 2nd Layer after the first layer is Dried Completely.
Try to paint 1 Thin Line at a time for parts that have the double Thin Line, and allowing each line to dry completely before painting on the next Thin Line.

4) Allow the Painted Tie to dry completely for at least several hours or 24 hours for best effect.

5) Following the Ironing Instruction on the Fabric Paint Bottle, iron the tie.
You can either iron the tie from the Underside OR with a White/Unbleached Cotton Cloth covering the Tie.

6) Allow Tie to cool completely and your tie is Ready.

METHOD 2: STENCIL

a) Make sure your Base Tie is clean of any residue. Wash it gently if possible and dry completely

b) Using the pattern provided here, or created with the measurement given or a Trace of your friend's Tie, create the Stencil for the Tie.
Trace up the Lines (for up to 2-3 sets) using a Permanent OHP Marker and Ruler onto the Clear/Translucent Stencil Template. Remove the Stencil Template from the Tie
With a Cutting Board or similar underneath the Stencil, cut out the parts that need to be painted

c) Place the Stencil on top of the Base Tie with the Lines corresponding to the "V" of the Tie.

d) Start painting the Lines onto the tie, while ensuring that each brush of paint isn't too thick. If too thin, paint on a 2nd Layer after the first layer is Dried Completely.

e) Repeat the procedure of stenciling the lines all over the tie while making sure each set of lines stencil are fully dried before removing the stencil and placing it on the next part of the tie to be stencil.

f) Allow the Painted Tie to dry completely for at least several hours or 24 hours for best effect.

g) Following the Ironing Instruction on the Fabric Paint Bottle, iron the tie.
You can either iron the tie from the Underside OR with a White/Unbleached Cotton Cloth covering the Tie.

h) Allow Tie to cool completely and your tie is Ready.

METHOD 3: RIBBONS

a) Make sure your Base Tie is clean of any residue. Wash it gently if possible and dry completely

b) Using the Pattern/Measurement provided, estimate the position of the Color Bars along the Tie with the V-Bottom of the Tie as a guide.

c) Paste the Double Sided Tape to one side of the Ribbon (probably Non-Shiny side if using Satin Ribbons). Trim the Double Sided Tape to match the width of the Ribbon when needed.

d) Working with 1 Color Bar at a time, remove the backing of the Double Sided Tape covered Ribbon and paste it onto the Tie. Gently but Firmly paste it down.

e) Continue working on pasting the Color Bands in the correct sequences and width on the Tie to the desired length.

WARNING: There is a chance that you won't be able to wash this Tie any more so please do try to avoid dirtying it. If it does get soiled, Hand Wash it and avoid Soaking.

METHOD 4: PAINT MARKER PEN

a) Make sure your Base Tie is clean of any residue. Wash it gently if possible and dry completely

b) Using the Pattern/Measurement provided, estimate the position of the Color Bars along the Tie with the V-Bottom of the Tie as a guide.
You can lightly stick the Tie onto a backing like Vancard Sheet and jot down the position of each bands on it which can then be used as a guide while drawing on the Color Bands.
OR
Cover the area not to be painted with Low Tack or regular Masking Tape

c) With the help of a Ruler, start drawing in the Color Bands onto the Tie.
If unsure and afraid of screwing up, start from the smaller part of the Tie before eventually moving to the Broader End.
Always stop here and there, after doing each Set of Color Bands, to check out that the correct sequence of Color Bands had been done and remind yourself how the next set should be done.

TIP: When drawing on the line, try to do in 1 direction, down the length of the tie with ensure the Ruler don't cover the drawn lines as you use it to help you draw the Color Bands straight.

d) When happy with the positions of the Color Bands, Darken the color till it's a Solid Color, with emphasize on the ones that will be seen (the Broad Part)

e) Allow to dry completely before using.
If using Fabric Paint Marker Pen, follow the instructions on the pen of how to Seal/Finish off the Color Bands
BUT if using Regular Paint Marker Pen, DO NOT Iron the tie OR Wash it as this WILL smug the colors (if really need to wash it, try to do Spot Clean or Surface Wash the Soiled part only).

[D] OTHER ONLINE TUTORIAL

       
        This is the instruction one of our members contributed and had been upload to the MADAME MALKINS HARRY POTTER COSTUMING WEBSITE some time ago before the HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN MOVIE came out and hence a change in the design of the Tie is seen:
 

1) First, get a clear picture of the tie, whether on the character or a commercially sold one (make sure the strips are going the correct direction!).

2) Estimate the width of the strip on the Harry Potter Ties (SS & CoS strips are all the same width).

3) Then, get a Plain Color Tie.
For example, if doing Gryffindor, get Yellow or Red Tie (though' personally I'll prefer the lighter color); Slytherin Green, Ravenclaw Blue and Hufflepuff Yellow (or Black).
Not necessary for the Tie to be Silk; it can be Satin or Cotton or Polyester as long as it suit your budget. Schools may be a good avenue to get cheap ties if they wear plain color one (or one with one 1 Logo at the bottom).

4) Get *Opaque* Fabric Paint.
Friends and I use "pebeo Setacolor Opaque".
Dylon also have Fabric paints though' their range of color is limited.

5) Using the V at the end of the tie as a guide, start painting on the strips, going in the correct direction.
If afraid of smuggling up the strips, may want to use a Low-Tack Tape to cover the strips you don't want to paint at regular intervals.
May also want to start from the least wide end if unsure.
Ensure too that that paint isn't too thick when you applied it.

6) Let is dry thoroughly (I always give at least a couple of hours, up to 12h to let my fabric painted item dry).

7) As stated on the Fabric Paint Bottle, Iron the Tie to seal the paint to it.
Usually they recommend you iron on the underside of the paint job.
If the Tie is thick, you may want to place a clean, plain cloth over the painted surface and iron over the cloth.

8) Let the tie cool thoroughly and you got yourself the SS/CoS School Tie. -__^

        Here's another Tutorial posted at the MADAME MALKINS HARRY POTTER COSTUMING WEBSITE by another member of the Madame Malkins Mailing List:

Making your own Tie Pattern
by Carolyn Kayta Barrows

There used to be patterns for neckties, and I own a couple. They were very popular in the 1970s. But if you want to make your own now, and can find suitable material, buy any old tie second-hand and use it for a pattern. By carefully taking it apart you can determine how it was made, and how the fabric was cut (diagonally to the grain). You can even use the interfacing from the old tie for your new one. Half a yard/meter of fabric should be sufficient, but make sure after you have taken the old tie apart. Remember that American ties stripe the other way than English ones, and cut accordingly.

Half a yard should do. Remember that commercial ties have a seam in the middle, where it won't show at the back of your neck. To save fabric they cut them in two pieces. I just got a pile of silk print intended for neckties, from a thrift store, and each piece is about two feet square. Half a yard of regular fabric might enough, but measure with your pattern first.

Finding the right Hogwarts stripe will be the problem. Regular fabric stores will be unlikely to have the right stuff, so you'll probably have to get lucky at some fabric outlet. Talbots, which sells regular silk neckties, sometimes has outlets which sell extra necktie silk they didn't use up. There's one near Carmel, CA, that sells silk remnants, but I don't know where else there might be one.

There's quite a lot of hand sewing on commercial neckties. If you take one apart you can see this. The necktie patterns I have are from the early 1970s, when neckties were very wide and made of outrageous stuff. Back then it was worth making your own just to get them scary enough.

How to Paint a House Tie by cryptoquip
WEBSITE : http://community.livejournal.com/fan_tutorials/629.html
NOTE : It's technically an old tutorial for the SS/CoS version so some pictures hosted on Live Journal are gone.
 

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