Craft Project - Shirt and Tie Clock by Wen Zientek-Sico One of our coolest ideas for Father's Day, and much better than yet another tie Dad has to wear, this clock is surprisingly easy to make. It makes the perfect gift for Dad to bring to the office or hang in his study. Finally, something to do with that really ugly tie Dad has!

Shirt and Tie Clock

Dad is guaranteed to love this really cute and useful gift. Make sure to get permission from a parent before using one of Dad's shirts and ties. If you cannot get permission, check out thrift stores for inexpensive shirts and ties. An adult or responsible older child is needed to help with the pins, glue, scissors, and matte knife. Younger children can help paint and arrange the shirt and tie.

Materials:

Old shirt from Dad

Old tie from Dad

10" X 14" piece of sturdy cardboard

Clock hands

Acrylic paint

Paint brush

Pins

Scissors

Glue gun or tacky glue

Ruler

Pencil

Matte knife or other cutting knife

Clock works

Instructions:

Cover your work surface with newspaper. Take a quick look at Dad's shirt and tie to see what colors go well with them, and whether or not the shirt is so light the cardboard will show through it. If the shirt is too light, pick out a paint color that matches it and paint one side of the cardboard the color of the shirt. Look at the color of the clock hands and the tie and shirt and decide if the colors match, and whether or not you will be able to see the hands against the background of the shirt and tie. If you don't think you will be able to see them, carefully paint them with a contrasting color. Let the paint dry. Button the shirt and place the cardboard inside it. Arrange the shirt so that the shoulders and collar are flush with the top of the cardboard. The collar should be centered and the cardboard should be pushed as high as you can. Smooth the shirt out and pull it as tight as you can. Flip the cardboard over and pin the shirt to the back of the cardboard to hold it in place. Make sure to place the pins on the very edges of the cardboard so they will hold it in place while you trim the shirt. Using the scissors, cut the sleeves, bottom, and other extra areas from the shirt (that do not overlap on the front of the cardboard), leaving a good one inch border all around the wrong side of the cardboard. Using the glue gun or tacky glue, glue the 1 inch border onto the cardboard, removing the pins as you go. Let the glue dry. Take your tie and tie it around the neck of the shirt. Arrange the tie as you would on your Dad. Glue the tie to the shirt to hold it steady. (Remember that it will be standing upright, so you might need quite a bit of glue.) Let the glue dry. Flip the cardboard over so that the shirt is face down. Using the ruler and pencil, find the center of the cardboard. Read the instructions that come with your clock works, and make a large enough hole using the matte knife and/or scissors. Make sure your hole goes through the shirt and tie as well as the cardboard. Assemble the clock as directed according to the instructions that comes with the clock kit. Prop your clock on a mantle or other shelf, or add a picture hanger to the back to help hang it on the wall.

Project Developed and Illustrated by Wen Zientek-Sico.