Bobble Top Tassels
by Judy Markwell



CLICK HERE for a One Page PDF File suitable for printing.

We have some very unusual beads the demanded a very unusual purpose. This tassel would be great hanging from your ceiling fan or on your drapery tie backs - you could even use a pair of them as funky earrings.

If you've ever made tassels before these will be a breeze - you could probably make one just by looking at the illustration. And if you haven't made tassels before, this is a great way to start.





SUPPLIES for Each tassel:
  • 1 Bobble Bead
  • 1 Skein of Pearl Cotton   (I used DMC Brand) found in the embroidery section of a craft store.
    Note: this is NOT embroidery floss
TOOLS:
  • scissors for paper and fabric
  • ruler (optional)
  • a couple of scraps of wire (one that's very fine and a heavier one)
  • a couple of scraps of corrugated cardboard (we online shoppers have plenty)
  • a drill(you could easily do without this, but your tassel won't have as nice of a cord to tie it at the top.)
Yes, that's it for the tools and supplies. You'll also need to work on at a table, but you'll need to have something to pull against when you're winding your cord - I use a door knob (attached to a door).

The first thing you'll need to do is unwind the pearl cotton. If you've never done this before, it's really good if you can have two people doing it, otherwise just lay it on a table take your time. It takes much longer if you try to hurry - this is the hardest part of the whole project as far as I'm concerned.

Take both of the paper wrappers off of the cotton and unfold it, open it up and lay it on the table in a circle. Cut the cotton at the knot. If you have someone to help you, have them hold it on their hands and hold it a little bit taut. Cut a scrap of cardboard to wrap the cotton onto, and wrap as you pull it from the skein. Just go slowly and don't pull any tangles too tightly, work them out before they get tight.

When you have your skein unwrapped, you're ready to start.


This next whole section is optional:

I like to have a nice tying cord for the top of my tassel. This is the twisted cord at the top of the tassel. A tassel that you would purchase would have one of these, so here are the instructions for one.
If you're making earrings don't even bother with this step - it won't show.
Don't let this step keep you from making a tassel - feel free to use a piece of the cotton here. The rest of the tassel will look exactly the same, you just won't have as thick of a cord above the bead. You decide if it's worth the trouble.

Take a length of cotton about (no need to measure) 3 yards (3 meters). You're going to twist it, so attach it to your drill with the heavier gauge wire as shown, and tie it (the type of knot doesn't matter) around the doorknob or kitchen cabinet knob or even a table leg - something that you can pull against a little bit. Make sure that your knot is right there at the knob, and not in the center of your cord. What you've got now is a large circle of cotton that's attached to the drill and looped through something to hold it taut.


Make sure your scissors are somewhere within reach before this step. Turn on the drill and run it slowly, keeping SLIGHT tension on your cord. Continue twisting your cord until you it looks about like this.


Now this part always seems a little bit magic (if you have enough twist to the cord). Hold your cord as shown in this picture. Keep it taut enough that it doesn't twist until you get it into this position.


At this point move the hand holding the cord so you can gradually loosen the tension of the cord, and your cord will magically twist exactly right. You may have to help it not twist in the wrong places, but it's amazing. Now you've made the cord to tie your tassel. Cut it off of the doorknob and remove it from the drill

This ends the Option Part of the Tutorial.


Decide how long you want your tassel to be and cut a piece of cardboard that size. You don't need it very wide - 3 or 4 inches is plenty wide, and the tassel I've made is about 2" (2.4 cm) long. You don't want it TOO long or it won't be a nice proportion to the bead.

Save about 4 yards of your cotton, and then wrap most of the rest of your cotton around the cardboard. Use a little bit of tension, but don't make it tight. Don't forget- you'll still need about 5 yards later.

Take a small piece of the cord and get ready to tie it around the tassel right next to the edge of the cardboard - just don't pull the tie the knot tightly just yet. Cut the cotton at the other edge of the cardboard. It doesn't need to be exactly even, but try to cut it as nicely as you can. BEFORE MOVING ANYTHING pull the knot tightly. This knot isn't going to show, so just make a tight one. Now you can pick up your tassel. Don't trim anything at this point.


Now work with the cord you made earlier (if you made one - otherwise use a piece of cord) fold it in half and pull it from the bottom to the top of the bead. I use a piece of cord as a "threader" to pull it through as shown, since the cord is a little large to go through.


Now tie a knot in the top of the cord right next to the bead leaving about an inch long area here - or however long you'd like your tassel to hang.
(Note for Earring Makers: make this part very short - just long enough to get your tassel on the earring hook and PUT THE HOOK ON NOW)
Push the bead tightly up against that knot and tie another knot just under the bead (make things tight up under the bead, NOT as shown - it's loose for the illustration), and then get the tassel that you just made and open it up at the tied off area, and tie one more knot, again make it very tight up against the bead. Don't cut off the cord, just untwist it and let the ends hang down as part of the tassel. Again, don't trim anything.


Now finish off your tassel. Hold the tassel in your hand and wrap the remaining cord around the top filling in the area under the bead and making the tassel look like the finished product above. When you're finished, run the end of the cord under the wrapped area using the piece of wire as shown here. I do this 3 or 4 times, then pull the end under and put it with the rest of the cords. Hold your finished product up and trim the ends so that they're even.

If you're making two, make sure you refer to your own first tassel at each step so that you make them the same.

That's it - you're finished. Isn't this a fun little project?

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