How to Tie a Bow-Tie

Contrary to popular myth, it is not difficult to tie a bow tie. In fact, if you can tie a pair of shoe laces, you can already do it. The trick, if there is one, is to do it neatly. A slight extra complication is that the knot is at your neck (and not at the end of your leg) so you will need to use a mirror … but is using a mirror that difficult? In any case, there already seem to be numerous web sites which explain the mechanics of tying a bow tie (two of the best are The Butler's Guild and The Bow Tie Club). This page will therefore address the question of how to produce a bow so neat that people will accuse you of wearing a made-up tie.

The diagrams below show what you will see in a mirror if you follow the instructions. Obviously, the tie can also be tied if you consistently exchange right for left and vice versa in everything that follows.

Instructions

Diagram 1 1. Drape the tie around the neck with one end – the left in this set of instructions – about an inch and a half longer than the other. One end has to be longer because it will contribute the material which forms the centre part of the bow between the two wings.

Diagram 2 2. Cross the longer end over the shorter end.

Diagram 3 3. Tie a simple knot. A better final effect is produced if you make the longer end do all the work and wrap it around the shorter, passive end.

Diagram 4 4. Hold the longer end with your thumb and forefinger up by your face so that it is out of the way. However, point your middle finger down towards the bow – it will come in useful as a hook in a moment. With your other hand, form the passive end into a bow (this will be the front). It is at this point that you can use that middle finger as a hook.

Diagram 5 5. Your hands will now change roles. Your right hand should be holding one end of the tie out of the way. Let that end now fall down over the front of the bow and with your right hand grasp the bow which you have just formed. The job of your right hand is now to hold that bow in position throughout the rest of the operation. The end that has fallen down will form the material between the two wings. It should be vertical. Grasp the hanging end with the thumb and middle finger of your left hand and make sure that it is vertical where it crosses the bow.

Diagram 6 6. Use the middle finger of your left hand to force the middle of the hanging end through the gap which is behind the bow from your right-hand side. Once you think it is far enough through so that you can release it, do so. Having pushed the bow through from the right-hand side, you can now pull from the left-hand side. However, be careful as you tighten it – see Stage 7.

Diagram 7 7. The diagram shows what you would see if you had a camera mounted underneath your mouth and pointing at the tie. There are six layers of material emerging from the central knot.

Pull on one of the loose ends (black arrow) and you will lengthen one side and shorten the other without tightening the tie;
Pull on one of the middle layers of material (red arrow) and you will lengthen one side and tighten the tie;
Pull on one of the remaining layers (blue arrow) and you will lengthen that side and shorten the other side but without tightening the tie.
By juggling with these three mechanisms and remembering that the red arrow stages cannot be reversed (i.e. the tie cannot be loosened) without starting again, it should be possible to produce a very good knot. Scientists (especially those who have had dealings with pulleys) may spot that when a loose end (for example) is pulled (black arrow), the loose end lengthens at twice the rate at which the other end shortens (because the loose end is one layer of material whereas the other end is two layers). When deciding which piece of tie to tug, you should bear this in mind!
One particular point to note is that if the back part of the tie is rather skew (and it often is just after it has been pushed through in Stage 6), twist it so it is horizontal just before tightening.

*Instructions*
	1. Drape the tie around the neck with one end – the left in this set of instructions – about an inch and a half longer than the other. One end has to be longer because it will contribute the material which forms the centre part of the bow between the two wings.
	2. Cross the longer end over the shorter end.
	3. Tie a simple knot. A better final effect is produced if you make the longer end do all the work and wrap it around the shorter, passive end.
	4. Hold the longer end with your thumb and forefinger up by your face so that it is out of the way. However, point your middle finger down towards the bow – it will come in useful as a hook in a moment. With your other hand, form the passive end into a bow (this will be the front). It is at this point that you can use that middle finger as a hook.
	5. Your hands will now change roles. Your right hand should be holding one end of the tie out of the way. Let that end now fall down over the front of the bow and with your right hand grasp the bow which you have just formed. The job of your right hand is now to hold that bow in position throughout the rest of the operation. The end that has fallen down will form the material between the two wings. It should be vertical. Grasp the hanging end with the thumb and middle finger of your left hand and make sure that it is vertical where it crosses the bow.
	6. Use the middle finger of your left hand to force the middle of the hanging end through the gap which is behind the bow from your right-hand side. Once you think it is far enough through so that you can release it, do so. Having pushed the bow through from the right-hand side, you can now pull from the left-hand side. However, be careful as you tighten it – see Stage 7.
	7. The diagram shows what you would see if you had a camera mounted underneath your mouth and pointing at the tie. There are six layers of material emerging from the central knot. Pull on one of the loose ends (black arrow) and you will lengthen one side and shorten the other without tightening the tie; Pull on one of the middle layers of material (red arrow) and you will lengthen one side and tighten the tie; Pull on one of the remaining layers (blue arrow) and you will lengthen that side and shorten the other side but without tightening the tie. By juggling with these three mechanisms and remembering that the red arrow stages cannot be reversed (i.e. the tie cannot be loosened) without starting again, it should be possible to produce a very good knot. Scientists (especially those who have had dealings with pulleys) may spot that when a loose end (for example) is pulled (black arrow), the loose end lengthens at twice the rate at which the other end shortens (because the loose end is one layer of material whereas the other end is two layers). When deciding which piece of tie to tug, you should bear this in mind! One particular point to note is that if the back part of the tie is rather skew (and it often is just after it has been pushed through in Stage 6), twist it so it is horizontal just before tightening.

Other Notes

Thin material will produce a small tight knot. In this case, the longer arm of the tie (Stage 1) should be only an inch (say) longer than the shorter one.
Shiny material will produce a simple knot (Stage 3) that will slip almost as soon as it is tied. One method to hold the knot while you form the bow (if you don't have a third hand available) is to put a pin into it. Pull the pin out as you tighten the bow. Use this technique, however, at your peril!

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Last updated St Peter, 2007