D.I.Y. bow tie with Maxine Benba Clarke

Bow ties are usually cloth bows that decorate your neck. You can use a strip of material and self-tie it into a bow, or cheat with a pre-tied bow fastened onto a loop of elastic or one that clips onto your shirt.

You can wear a bow tie for fun, adding colour and style to your outfit.

A bow tie can express your personality and interests, and help tell the world your story!

You will need:

• 1 glue stick
• 1 piece of cardboard or this resource
• 1 piece of elastic, about 30cm long
• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 lead pencil
• Lots of decorations: foil, cupcake wrappers, washi tape, stickers, magazines for collage, glitter, wrapping paper.

Steps:

• Use this resource [pdf file] or draw your own bow tie shape on your piece of card.
• Cut out your bow tie.
• Fold the centre of the bow tie in half horizontally, and cut two small vertical lines in the centre.
• Decorate both sides of the bow tie with different designs and materials.
• Use colours, textures, pictures, patterns or words to create a bow tie ‘portrait’ that tells the world about who you are.
• Thread the elastic through the two slits, and tie its ends together.
• Strut your stuff!

Maxine Beneba Clarke is the creator of this resource and a featured writer in the Portrait23: Identity publication. An Australian writer and illustrator of Afro-Caribbean descent, she is the author of over ten books, including the children’s books Fashionista and When We Say Black Lives Matter.