Add flirty or bohemian embellishments to furnishings and decor accents with easy-to-make tassels.

 

Floral entry

Our cheery entry is a symphony of floral fabrics backed by York Wallcovering’s Sea Floral wallpaper. The lampshade wrapped in Liberty of London fabric gives the simple lamp greater presence against the patterned wall covering. See how we wrapped the lampshade here.

 

Tassels on lamp base

There’s a lot of busyness and color going on in the lampshade now so we added coordinating tassels to bring the main hues down against the plain ivory base. Tassels are affordable and a snap to make in any color, texture, and size you want. Here are two simple methods.

 

Homemade tassel maker

Create your own tassel maker with a piece of cardboard. Cut a rectangle from the board that’s about twice the length that you want your finished tassel to be. Then, cut a hole in the center of the board. Add slits at the top left corner and the bottom right corner.

 

Tassel maker

For an adjustable version, try Clover’s affordable tassel maker. It’s more durable, plus it’s lightweight, easy to use, and comes in various sizes.

Wrap yarn on homemade tassel maker

Using the cardboard tassel maker, tuck the yarn end into the slit at the top left corner. Wind the yard around the center of the board about 20-25 times (yarn thickness plays a big role). When finished snip the yarn and slide the end into the slit at the bottom right.

 

Wrap floss on tassel maker

Follow the same instructions for the Clover tassel maker, using the notches at center to hold yarn ends.

 

Add tied loop

Cut a piece of yarn twice the size that you want for a finished hanging loop. With the ends, tie a double knot. And place it in the middle of your wrapped yarn.

 

Tie around floss on homemade tassel maker

Just above the knot in the center, tie another length of yarn tightly around the all the wrapped yarns.

 

Tie around floss

Make a double knot to make it secure.

 

Cut floss on homemade tassel maker

Cut the floss at both ends of the cardboard.

 

Cut floss on ends

The Clover tassel maker has a channel at top and bottom to guide the scissors when cutting the ends.

 

Wrap floss around neck of tassel

Fold the cut tassel in half with the loop at the top. Wrap another length of yarn several times around the folded tassel about a half-inch down from the top. Slip the end through the winding loop to secure.

 

Wrap tassel with tape

For an even finish, wrap a length of adhesive tape around the bottom of the tassel.

 

Trim tassel

Using scissors, make a straight cut through the tape across the bottom of the tassel.

 

Finished pink tassel

Remove the tape and fluff the ends.

 

Finished green tassel

Follow the same series of steps to complete a tassel on the homemade cardboard tassel maker.

 

Finished tassels

We made two tassels for our lamp base in pink and gray, pulling the colors from the lampshade fabric.

 

Tassels on lamp detail

Looped over the lamp switch, they add a little extra detail and texture to the simple gourd-shape base.

 

Yarn tassels

Make tassels in heavier yarn to add to throws, blankets, and rugs.

 

The thickness, length, and type of floss or yarn will give your handmade tassel a unique character. Embroidery floss creates a refined accent; twine will make rustic tufts. These oversize tassels add a decidedly bohemian flair to bedding.

 

© Caruth Studio

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