In this article, we will learn how to make decorative tassels using materials we already have at home.
Tassels/ fringes can be used in many crafts. Depending on their size, they can decorate a basket, turn into cute bohemian earrings or stand on their own as a wall decoration.
In this article, we decorated a basket with these tassels.
You will need :
- Knitting wool, cotton yarn or thick threads (depending on the size you want to achieve)
- A small book
- A pencil
- A pair of scissors
Instructions :
- Cut a piece of thread, 25 cm long = “belt”
- You want this piece (belt) placed in the back of the book, as seen in the picture. Putting one side of the thread in the pages of the book may be helpful for this step.
- Grab the pencil and stabilize it with your hand on the lower back of the book.
- Next step : start making the decorative tassel. Take the end of the thread and start twisting the thread around the book starting from the bottom up, as seen in the picture.
- If the “belt” that is hanging is bothering you and we can’t easily turn the thread easily, you can twist the “belt” around the pencil.
- Continue twisting the thread 50-60 times, depending on the size of the tassel you want to achieve.
- Cut the end of the thread.
- Carefully remove the pencil.
- Using the pair of scissors, cut the bottom part of the thread (where the pencil was)
- Gently remove the thread from the book by pulling from the “belt”
- Make sure that belt is exactly in the middle of the length of the thread and tighten with a tight double knot.
- Cut a piece of thread (20 cm long) and place it the length of 3 fingers, below the top of the tassel that is almost ready.
- Tie a knot (neither loose nor too tight)
- The decorative tassel is almost ready! Trim the ends to straighten the bottom, if needed.
Hooray! The decorative tassel is ready! That simple!
You can try experimenting with different sizes and thicknesses with these decorative tassels, by adjusting the size of the book, the times you twist the thread, the point where the 2nd belt will be tied and also how much you will cut the decorative tassel at the end.
In the picture above, you can see 4 different tassels :
- For the yellow tassel, I used a small book and twisted the thread around it 30 times. I tied the last belt the length of 3.5 fingers below the top and cut the length of 2 fingers.
- For the pink tassel, I used a small book and twisted the thread around it 50 times. I tied the last belt the length of 3 fingers below the top and cut the length of 2 fingers.
- For the green tassel, I used a larger book and twisted the thread around it 40 times. I tied the last belt the length of 3 fingers below the top and cut the length of 2 fingers.
- For the burgundy tassel, I used a larger book and twisted the thread around it 25 times. I tied the last belt at the length of 2.5 fingers below the top and cut the length of 3 fingers.
Experiment until you achieve the size of the tassel you like the most!
So what do you think? Will you try it?
See you soon,
