Decorative Tassels

The most common tassels are made out of yarn or embroidery floss. They are most often used to decorate knit hats, scarves, and blankets. Did you know that you can also make tassels out of paper and leather or suede?

Paper tassels make great garlands for parties, and leather/suede tassels make great additions to boots and purses.
- Choose some yarn or embroidery floss. You can make tassels out of just about anything, but this method works best with stringy materials, such as yarn or embroidery floss. You can also use other types of string, such as twine, cording, or very thin rope.
- Cut a rectangular piece of cardboard. The longer your cardboard is, the longer your tassel will be. For a standard tassel, start with a 4 inch (10.16 centimeters) piece of cardboard. You can always trim the tassel shorter when you are done if it is too long for you.
- Cut a piece of string, and tape it across the top of the cardboard. This will make the string your tassel hangs from. You can use the same color as the rest of your tassel, or a contrasting color. The string should be at least 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) long. Remember, you can always cut it shorter at the end, if you need to. Consider braiding three strings together first, and then taping them to the cardboard. This will not only make the handing string stronger, but also prettier.
- Start wrapping your string around the cardboard, lengthwise. Make sure you are wrapping across/over the string you taped to the top of your cardboard. The more you wrap, the fuller your tassel will be. Plan on wrapping it at least 24 times.
- Cut the string when you reach the bottom of the cardboard on the final wrap. Don't cut it any higher, of your tassel will be uneven.
- Take the tape off, and tie the ends of the string into a tight knot. This will help hold your tassel together.
- Cut the wrapped string along the bottom and take it off the cardboard. Your tassel is almost ready. Don't worry if a few strings fall out.
- Cut a 10 inch (25.4 centimeters) piece of string. You will be wrapping this string around the top part of your tassel to hold it together. You can match the color to your tassel, or use a contrasting color.
- Tie the string around the tassel, ½ inch (1.27 centimeters) down from the top. Make the knot as tight as you can without breaking the string.
- Wrap the string around the tassel 6 to 8 times. Try to stay as close to the knot as possible.
- Tie the ends of the string into a tight, double-knot. If you are worried about the knot coming loose, you can secure it with a drop of super glue.
- Trim the bottom of your tassel. Your tassel may not be even along the bottom. If this happens to you, take a sharp part of scissors, and trim the tassel across the bottom until it is even.

When making tassels out of string, consider wrapping two or more colors around the cardboard at the same time. You won't have to wrap the string as many times, and you'll end up with a multi-colored tassel.