HOW 2 - Simple Tassel Tutorial

I have had a busy day watching Sheena launch her Oriental range. Can't begin to imagine how She is feeling at the moment. Demo after demo, non-stop chat with the presenters, getting ready for the next show, one busy gal today. And to think She has got to do it all again, and again, and again!

Bless you Sheena, girl done good!

Did you manage to get your orders in? Have you had any brilliant ideas about how you are going to use your Oriental goodies? Watching the shows and seeing all the other Inkoid samples has seen me nipping into my craft room between shows to play all over again!

As promised here is the Easy Tassel tutorial I said I would do in my last post. When you have a 'need' for something to occupy your fingers you could make a range of tassels in various colours to use on your projects at a later date.

STEP 1 - I used a classic 6 strand embroidery thread for these tassels. Wrap the thread around something. Now the 'something' could be your fingers or a piece of card, but what I find works well is an acrylic block, the ones you put your stamps onto. Using a block means that you will have a standard size you could replicate in the future. I used a fairly small one for these tassels. I went round 5 times for the big tassel and 3 times for the smaller ones. 

STEP 2 - Carefully slip the wound thread off and keep it in a circle form so you can thread a single strand of thread through the loop and tie it up to secure it. (fig. a)

fig. a

STEP 3 - Use the tie strand like a needle to thread through your bead. It is best to use beads with a fairly good sized hole, but the tie thread helps as it is not too bulky. (fig. b)

fig. b

STEP 4 - Gently ease the tassel back down the bead so the point where the loops were tied together is inside the hole of the bead. (fig. c)

fig. c

STEP 5 - Squeeze some PVA glue, the extra sticky type, down into the hole to secure the threads. Let it dry completely before moving on.

fig. d

STEP 5 - Trim the ends to suit your project. Here I have stuck the tassel to a lantern keeping the bead close to the base to hide the thread coming out of the top of the bead. (fig. d)

It is easy to make smaller tassels using less wraps of thread and smaller beads. Have fun experimenting with different threads, bigger or smaller beads, more beads, whatever! 

Let me know how you get on with this tutorial, it is my first proper attempt at a step-by-step, and I am curious to know if the recipe worked for you!

Tired now, work in the morning, so my bed is calling me.

Good night all! Kim xx