July 13, 2018

MFT July Release | Techniques & Tutorials


Hello and welcome back! Today I have a card to share for a new monthly feature on the My Favorite Things blog called Techniques & Tutorials. The design team will be sharing cards with detailed instructions and step-by-step photos using products from the newest release.


For my project, I'm sharing the bookmark I shared yesterday but today I'm showing you how I created the bookmark tassel that I added to it.

I filmed a video of the process that just went live on the MFT YouTube channel (link in sidebar) but I'm also including still shots from the video below in case you prefer photos over videos. :)



To create the tassel I started with a square piece of card stock that measures 5" on both sides. I folded it in half so it measures 2.5" x 5" when folded.


I picked out the twine I wanted to use and started to wrap it around the card stock piece. You want to start the string at the top and wind around continuously until you have the amount of twine you want. The more twine you add, the thicker the tassel will be. When you're wrapping it, you want the folded side if the card stock at the bottom and the open side at the top.



Once you have all the twine added, trim it off at the top and cut a second piece of twine about 18" long. Fold the piece of twine in half so you have a loop at one end and then slide it under the twine you have wrapped on the card stock. Once you've pulled it under, slide the down to the bottom of the card stock piece.


Tie the twine into a tight knot at the bottom of the card stock around the wrapped twine and double or triple knot it to make sure it doesn't come undone. I like to use tweezers for this part to help the twine while I'm tying it.


Once you have it tightly tied, use a sharp pair of scissors and cut the twine along the open edge at the top of the card stock. This will form your tassel.


Once you've cut through the twine, remove it from the card stock and lay it flat. Pull the looped end up to the top (this is the part that will attach to the bookmark) and pull the other loose edge down so it mixes in with the tassel. Use your fingers to pull all the pieces down together so all of the tassel strings are laying straight.


Using another piece of twine, wrap it around the top of the tassel to create the head. This will give the top a finished look and help secure all of the tassel strings. Once you have it in place, pull down on the strings to make sure there aren't any loose pieces sticking out at the top. Once you tie the initial knot, wrap the twine around a few times before tying it foo completely. 


Pull the extra pieces from the head knot down into the bookmark so they blend in with the rest of the tassels.


Using your scissors, trim off the bottom of the tassel to give it a nice finished look and make all the tassel strings one length.


Slide the loop end into the front of the bookmark and pull the tassel through the loop to secure it to the bookmark.


And that's it! Now you have a handmade tassel for your bookmark. :)



1 comment:

Purple Princess said...

Such a fun embellishment!