Today I'm sharing how I made those fun tassels that I added to my Kantha pillow corners.
Today I'm sharing how I made those fun tassels that I added to my Kantha pillow corners.
These are just so quick and easy, and in no time you'll have a gloriously chubby, swishy tassel to accent your pillow or throw.
To make a 4" long tassel you will need:
- yarn in various colours and weights
- a 4" width tin lid or piece of heavy card
- sharp scissors
I began by rummaging in my yarn bins for colours that reflected the themes in the front of the pillow.
I was after a mainly white and light blue colour, with dark blue, pink and lime pops of colour.
My selection included a range of different weight yarns, ranging from 4 ply (sport weight) through to a 12ply (chunky weight) for an interesting effect.
I would have liked to also add some stranded embroidery thread for some extra sparkle, but I didn't have enough of the right colour on hand.
But if you look carefully, the pink and aqua yarns both have a sparkle twist to them, and I was happy enough with that.
I had 6 colours that I used all up.
I used this tin lid to wrap the yarn around. I was after a really fat, long tassel, and this lid measures about 4 in.
I found using a lid rather than just card made tying it off really easy, but a sturdy piece of cardboard or small book will also work.
Let's get started!
STEP 1
You'll be making this from the inside to the outside.
So think about how you'd like the inside of your tassel to look.
The colour you begin with will be in the very centre.
It's a good idea to make a note of your colour order and the number of wraps you made, so if you are making multiple tassels, they will end up looking roughly the same thickness and colour.
Start wrapping the yarn around and around.
Don't worry about the loose tail, just let it hang down, as it will be trimmed off at the end. I did about 12 wraps to start mine.
This will actually make 24 strands in the finished tassel, so remember that the number of wraps will end up being doubled.
And don't you just love my manicure?? That's especially for you ;)
When you've wrapped enough of the first colour, trim off leaving a longer tail.
Continue the process with more colours and wraps, trying to keep it roughly in the centre without spreading out too much.
STEP 2
When you feel you've got a nice fat amount wrapped, it's time to tie it off.
Cut two lengths of yarn 20 in long each.
Flip the lid over, and treating the two lengths as one strand, wrap around the centre and pull and tie as tight as you can, going around the middle several times, and tying as tight as you can with several knots.
STEP 3
Flip the lid back over, begin cutting through the centre with sharp scissors.
STEP 4
When it finally falls off the lid, you will have a Cousin Itt looking character!
Hold onto the top of the strings, and shake out any loose yarn that wants to fall out.
Give it a bit of a groom to neaten it all up.
STEP 5
Cut another strand of yarn 20 in long.
Holding the top string in one hand, smooth out the strands a bit, and grab tightly in the other hand.
Tie this tightly around the top section of the tassel.
My ties are about 1" down from the very top.
You'll want to wrap and tie several times again, before knotting several times.
You can just let the ends of this hang down and become part of the tassel, or thread them onto a yarn needle and hide them back in the centre.
STEP 6
Tidy up any unsightly loops sticking out of the top of the tassel, by pulling on the individual strands of yarn at the bottom.
You're after a nice snug looking top.
STEP 7
Now comes the fun part of tidying it up.
Smooth all the ends down, trying to pull everything evenly.
Wrap your hand around it tightly, and begin trimming small amounts off the uneven ends.
It's better to do this gradually, so you don't accidentally make it too short.
And when you're happy with the shape and the length, you're all done!
Pat yourself on the back, and then...
make another one!
Here's the tutorial in a nutshell, for you to pin for future reference...and for instructions on how to attach them to your pillow corners, refer to this post.
I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial, and feel inspired to add some tassels to your own Kantha pillow, or any project!
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