| Decorating with Tassels |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-506 |
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Q: I love to use tassels in my decorating. Can you show me how to make a ribbon tassel? A: (from DIY decorating expert, Nancy Golden) Tassels make great decorating accents, and they're fun, inexpensive and easy to make. Here's how to do it yourself.
Silk-Ribbon Looped Tassel
Materials: Decorative ribbon
Scissors
Cardboard for template
Floral wire
Straight pins
Tacky glue
Appliqued, beaded or print trim-ribbon
Steps: - Decide the length you want to make your tassel, and cut a cardboard template to that length (figure A).
- Wrap your ribbon lengthwise around your cardboard template. Keep wrapping until you've looped it around the cardboard (figure B) enough times to create a tassel in the thickness that you want. For thicker tassels, use more ribbon. If you're using thick ribbon material or yarn, you may need to wrap fewer times. For sheer ribbon, you may need to wrap more.
- Once you have an ample amount of ribbon wrapped around the template, tie it off at one end of the loop with a piece of matching ribbon (figure C). This will create the top of the tassel.
- Once tied off, remove the looped ribbon from the cardboard and form the top end -- which includes the loop that will be used for hanging the tassel. Do this by holding the gathered ribbon tightly in your fist, pinching the top end firmly and wrapping floral wire tightly around the top end to create the top loop (figure D). This completes the main body of the tassel.
- To conceal the floral wire, select a decorative trim-ribbon that complements the ribbon used for making the tassel. For our demonstration, we selected a trim ribbon with small satin roses (figure E).
- Attach the end of the decorative ribbon to the wrapped wire using crafting tacky glue (figure F).
- Wrap the decorative trim around the neck of the tassel several times (figure G) and attach the other end using the tacky glue.
- Secure the wrapped trim using a straight pin (figure H) until the glue dries.
- Once the glue has dried, you can remove the end of the ribbon loop you tied in step 3 by simply cutting it off. Once you've removed the excess ribbon, the tassel is finished. This design results in a tassel with the ends looped (figure I).
Tassel Variations
- Be creative and come up with your own design combinations. Other variations include creating a fancy tassel using black rickrack adorned with either black yarn or wood-bead trim (figure J), beaded fringe or a leopard-print trim wrapped around the top.
- For a daring, funky look, try creating a chenille tassel with beaded trim (figure K).
RESOURCES :
The Splendor of Ribbon
Model: 1567993974
Author: Ellie Schneider& Ellie Joos
(March 1997); 128 pages
Lion Ribbon Co. / C.M. Offray & Son Inc.
Website: www.offray.com
Elegant Ribboncraft
Model: 0891346635
Author: Christine Kingdom
North Light Books
March 1995
Krause Publications
Website: www.krause.com
Glorious Ribbons
Model: 0801984858
Author: Christine Kingdom
September 1993
Chilton Book Company
Westchester, PA 19380
Phone: 610-738-9280
Fax: 610-738-9354
Victorian Ribbon and Lacecraft Designs
Model: 080690402X
Author: Mary Jo Hiney
out of print
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
Heirloom Ribbonwork
Model: 087341991X
Author: Helen Gibb
A Passion for Ribbonry
Model: 156477211X
Author: Camela Nitschke
Old-Fashioned Ribbon Trimmings and Flowers
Model: 0486275213
Author: Mary Brooks Picken
Ribbonwork : Decorative Ideas to Embellish the Home
Model: 1842152300
Author: Lisa Brown
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