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TASSELS GALORE
By: Carolyn Hanson
Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher and fiber artist. She can be contacted at
cchanson3@gmail.com
.
Tassels are everywhere…on the runway, on purses, on curtains, on pillows, on jewelry
and key chains. They can be made from yarn, thread, beads, feathers, leather, ribbon,
etc. They are relatively easy to make. The key is to make them thick. Length is up to
you. Long or short. Tassels use a lot of fiber, so purchase an extra
skein just for this purpose.
Until recently, I had only made tassels from yarn,
then, I saw these long beaded necklaces with silk
tassels and had to try. Surprisingly, they were just
as easy to make with thread as with yarn. For the
gray strand, I added the tassels to the existing
strand of hematite beads. For the coral strand, the
beads were strung for the necklace and the bead
extensions for the tassels.
Materials
- Silk Thread (1 spool) – for a fine rich look to decorate jewelry; yarn - for thick full
look on pillows or afghans (1 skein); etc
- Heavy cardboard, book, ruler, anything that is stiff and the size of the finished length
- Scissors
- Thin crochet hook or sewing needle with eye large enough for yarn or thread
1. Decide on the finished length. [Silk tassels are 2” and 2.5” long]
2. Cut cardboard slightly longer than the finished length and a few inches wide for
thread (4’-5” for yarn)
3. Cut 2 12” pieces of thread/yarn. One will be used for attaching the tassel to your
chosen project and the other will be used to wrap around all the strands to form
the tassel.
4. Starting at the bottom begin wrapping the yarn vertically around the cardboard.
The more wraps, the thicker the tassel. [Note: If using silk thread, wrap 200-300
times; one time completely around is one wrap. For yarn, try not to stretch while
wrapping to avoid the tassel from shrinking once removed from the cardboard. I like
thick tassels, the thickness of the yarn will determine the # of wraps. Count as you
go so that all tassels for the project use the same # of wraps.
5. Once the tassel is the desired thickness, finish on the same end where the wraps
started and cut the yarn. Take the 12” piece cut earlier and slide it under all thick-
nesses as the top of the tassel and tie a knot.
6. Now cut through all thicknesses at the opposite end (bottom) and remove the card-
board. The 12” yarn is now tied around the top center of the cut lengths.
7. Fold the tassel in half so the 12” tied piece is at the top. Now take the remaining
12” length and wrap it tightly around all loose threads slightly below the connec-
tor thread leaving enough yarn exposed on both ends to tie a knot.
8. To hide the knot, use the crochet hook or thread the sewing needle with both loose
ends and pull it down into the center of the tassel.
9. Trim all ends to the same length. That’s it!
There are so many fun and easy ways to make tassels. I found a few on YouTube
that I plan to try. They use DMC embroidery floss. There is no need to wrap or even
remove the labels. Think of it as a tassel that’s already premeasured!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4oekPDLbck - DIY Tutorial How to Make a Tassel
- Tassels Tassle Tassles Borlas - Easy Simple
For variations, use a ring at the top of the tassel instead of the string. This can then be
easily added to jewelry or a key chain, etc. Choose a ring that fits the size of your proj-
ect. Add a lobster claw to clip to your purse, or ear wires for earrings.
Add some fun to any project. Enjoy.
PAGE 52
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