How silk ties are made
Most good ties are cut at 45 degrees to the weave so they hang straight, which is why their stripes run slanted.
- stations
- 7
- things upstream
- 25
- raw sources
- 10
- steps from the ground
- 8
The short version
A silk tie is cut from woven silk at 45 degrees to the grain, known as on the bias, so the finished tie falls from the knot without twisting. Three pieces are sewn end to end, a wool lining is laid inside, and the cloth is folded around it and hand or machine slip-stitched along the back.
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Reel and twist the silk
Threads are unwound from silkworm cocoons and twisted together into yarn. Silk is strong, takes dye well, and has a sheen that polyester imitates only partly.
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Weave and dye the cloth
Looms weave stripes, twills or woven patterns, or a plain cloth is printed afterward. The yarn is dyed before weaving or the finished cloth is dyed or printed.
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Cut across the grain
Stacks of 40 to 50 sheets are hand cut at Drake's, with two ties to a block, and machines do the same work elsewhere. Pieces come off at 45 degrees to the weave, so any stripe ends up running at a slant.
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Join three segments
A tie is sewn from three pieces, each cut on the bias: two long ends and a shorter piece for the neck. The seams run diagonally across the cloth, where the tie is folded under or tucked behind the knot.
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Insert the wool lining
A soft inner layer of wool is laid inside the silk. It gives the tie its body and spring, and the gold bars on it show the weight of the wool.
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Fold and slip-stitch
The edges are folded around the interlining and closed with a long, loose stitch down the back. The stitch is left slack on purpose, so the tie can stretch when pulled and spring back afterward.
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Press and label
Steam presses the tie flat, edges are tacked down, and a label is sewn in the back. Finished ties are folded or rolled for packing.
Worth repeating
- Before the diagonal cut, ties tended to curl to one side once tied. The American tailor Jesse Langsdorf patented his fix in 1924.
- A seven-fold tie has no lining, only silk folded seven times and sewn by hand, which is why it is so expensive.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and silk tie starts as these 10 raw sources.
Everything it is made of See it on the map
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Sources
- Necktie
- A closer look at the necktie (Christian Science Monitor)
- Hand cutting ties at Drake's (Permanent Style)
- Tie manufacture (Ben Silver)
Cite this page: "How silk ties are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/silk-tie