Silly Snake Ties

We started off the Spring semester of Sewing Club with these adorable Silly Snake Ties.  Everyone loved them and had fun designing their very own pet snakes.  They make wonderful scarfs and belts as well.

I've had these on my Pinterest board forever and finally collected enough ties to make them.  We have 50+ kids in Sewing Club, so it took a few trips to the thrift store to score this many ties!

Let's make a snake, shall we? 
Materials needed:  tie, stuffing, felt scrap, 2 buttons, hand sewing supplies

First, you will stuff the snake.  Really, only the head part gets stuffed, so it's not too much stuffing.  The tricky part is preparing the ties for stuffing.  If the tie is all sewed shut, you'll need to pull out the lining and cut it where it is sewn down.  Each tie is different, so you'll have to see what works best for your tie style.  I prepared these for the kids, but several opened up during the stuffing stage and we had to do some emergency surgery to get them sewn back together!

Next, cut a felt tongue.  Slip the tongue into the opening and sew it shut.  Most younger sewers sewed the opening closed and then added a tongue.  Either way is fine.  I love how kids instinctively do what makes sense for them.

Finally, add two eyes to the front of the head.  This is a wonderful way to practice button sewing.  Show the kids how to first pull the needle through where you want the eyes and then slip on the button.  Now you can sew through the other holes.

Show off your Silly Tie Snake!