How to Make Tassels with Yarn -Sewing Machine Hack

Would you like to learn an easy and quick way how to make tassels with yarn? 

Well, in this post, you will learn a hack to make beautiful tassels in a very short time. We are going to use our favorite sewing tool, the sewing machine!

Yes, as you read it. We will use our sewing machines to cut our tassel-making time in half.

I will also share with you some simple ways to decorate them to get unique designs in any craft project you have in mind.

Tassels are perfect for exploring our creativity to our best. So, this is a great time to add ribbons, beads, charms, colors, and textures.

Be prepared. I can see a lot of tassels coming for your next projects!

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Tassels exist for decorative and ornamental use. You can use them in curtains, hats, key chains, and even garments.

But that’s not all. You can use them to do a lot of other things. 

For example, a keychain for your keys or an accessory for your bag by putting it on a DIY wristlet strap.

This project will help you finally use those strips of fabric and yarn scraps hanging around in your craft room.

A great thing about this project is that you can make it with your kids or teenagers. It Is pretty straightforward. Not to mention safe.

It can help them to develop their creative and motor motion skills.

And to you, well… Let’s just say that it will open a whole world of crafting possibilities.

What is the best material to make tassels? 

The easiest material to make tassels with is Yarn. It is very easy to handle, and it fills with less material. On the other hand, one of the most used materials to make tassels is embroidery floss. It is silky and has a shiny finish. Crafters use it to make embroidery projects by hand.

Their strands are easy to separate, which avoids tangles and knots. 

And it seems important to mention that this type of thread is pretty affordable and comes in a wide variety of shades and colors.

Some popular brands that sell yarn and have excellent customer reviews are Red Heart Super Saver, Patons Yarn, BERNAT, Mira handcraft, and LE PAON.

If you want to practice, I recommend using a 2 mm nylon cord. The strings of these cords are thicker than embroidery floss or even yarn. Which will help you to handle it better when making your tassels.

There are also thinner yarns, such as crochet yarn (but it unravels easily) or waxed yarn (after washing, you can ruin its shape).

It will all depend on the use you want to give your tassel and the design’s final idea.

And you can always search for the different macramé yarns that exist to choose the best option for you.

These have a great variety of sizes that will give you a different finish to each of your projects. You can also add extra details with charms and beads.

These are a great way to personalize this accessory and give you the option of using it as a gift for your loved ones. 

One thing, though. You must consider that the string of the tassel must pass inside your bead.

So, you will have to consider the thickness of the material and the notions you will use.

How do you make a tassel look professional? 

You can substitute some threads for more attractive materials, such as chains to hold the tassel, wire, or lace to overlap the neck of the tassel.

Another option is to include jewelry accessories, which will definitely make a nice change and look much more professional.

Don’t forget to choose the best quality materials if you want your tassel to have a professional look.

They can be, for example, composed of a higher percentage of natural fibers.

This will help your tassel be more durable, and if you want to choose the option of dyeing it, its color absorption will be more effective.

If you decide to use synthetic fibers, my advice is to burn the tips carefully so that they won’t fray over time and last longer. 

Synthetic material is different from natural fibers because the thread is shiny and easy to handle. 

In this type of DIY, you can use hot glue to help you ensure better adhesion of the accessories you select for your project.

How to Make Tassels with Yarn?

The easiest way to make tassels with yarn is by using a piece of cardboard template. You will wrap the yarn multiple times on the longest side of the cardboard rectangle. Then, remove the yarn and tie it from the half of one end. Finally, cut the other end to open the tassels’ strings.

But here is the thing.

We are going to make something different to start these tassels. And that is to use our sewing machines.

More specifically, we are going to use the bobbin winder. The part of the machine we use to thread or bobbins.

And for that, we are going to make a small, fun, and improvised attachment.

Use our video tutorial to see that you can achieve many tassels in record time with this trick!

Additionally, you can find the process in detail with the step-by-step picture instructions at the bottom of the post.

I recommend you watch it until the end so you can see beautiful and creative ways to decorate your tassels.

How can I use a Sewing Machine to make tassels?

To make a tassel most quickly and easily, we’ll need to make a special attachment with a bobbin and a piece of cardboard.

Cut a cardboard rectangle with the measure you want the length of our tassel to be by 2” or 3”.

If your cardboard is too thin, you can glue two rectangles together until you see it will be resistant enough to support the wraps of your material.

Insert the bobbin in the winder as if you were threading it.

Then, place the cardboard behind it and mark the outline of the pin that stands out from the bobbin winder. Cut that shape out of the cardboard.

Place the cardboard piece on top of the bobbin by matching the centers. Use a glue gun to keep them in their place, like in this picture.

The cardboard will hold better to your bobbin if you glue it on the smoother sides (the ones without inscriptions popping out).

Note: be careful not to obstruct the spaces through which the bobbin winder will move.

Once our new attachment is ready, we will wrap our yarn a few times to our cardboard. Then, press the machine foot pedal by holding your string horizontally to the cardboard center.

Do not pressure the string or wind the tassel too quickly. 

It is better to go nice and easy with this new trick.

When you feel like you like the thickness of the tassel, remove it from the bobbin winder.

Cut one of the sides, take a long yarn string, and pass it through the center back to make a knot.

We use this same string to go around the neck of our tassel and make a knot that will hold our finish.

Finally, thread a needle with the yarn you want your tassel to hang from. 

Pass it through the center of the tassel’s head to let out a strand on each side and make a knot with the ends.

You can hide this knot by sliding the string as close to the head of our tassel to give it the final aesthetic details.

How Can I Make My DIY Tassels Look Fancier?

One way to make your tassels look fancier is by braiding them. We can make different braids with the strands that fall from our tassel, and we can place some beads to our liking to give them a unique style.

We can also add chains or charms to make it look fabulous.

And if you like natural tie-dye techniques, you can dye the ends of the tassel with coffee, as I did on the tassel above.

This way, you can get the gradient, colorful or neutral designs based on the final idea of your project. 

You can also use pigments or powders that contain fabric fixative, as I did with this blue tassel.

Another style that is very easy and quick to make is cutting our tassel into levels or layers. 

You can divide your tassel into two or more levels and cut the threads around the contour to give it more volume and movement.

This will give a completely different style comparing the traditional tassels.

Another idea is to play with the cuts, making them horizontal, diagonal, curved and pointed.

You can add different materials, such as chains or ribbons, to hang the tassel.

And you can even use textile paint to add some body and texture.

Placing a D-ring to make a keychain is one of the ideas that I like the most.

This allows us to add strings with nylon thread and place lovely notions such as large beads or add attractive details such as DIY yarn pompoms and show our projects at their best!

An element that gives it a delicate and elegant look is lace.

You can use it in the neck of the tassel and add a ribbon as a bow on top of it to give it a more delicate look.

Maybe you can add a ribbon decorated with beads or some kind of yarn to give it a more handmade look. 

There are many ways you can make each tassel unique and with a different style.

What else can I do with DIY Tassels?

I thought that a pretty cool idea to use my tassels was to add them to my DIY wristlet straps. It will make my clutches look so cool.

I found a tutorial to turn your tassels into beautiful earrings searching the internet!

If you are a fan of key chains, it’s time to get out your favorite materials and make a cute and original tassel.

Now, if you want to spoil your loved ones, I’m sure you can get a lot of inspiration from their preferences to have a personalized detail, adding their favorite charms and colors.

I’m sure you can achieve great accessories by using this in many other projects, so I’ll be pleased to share what you thought of this tutorial in the comments. We love to hear your thoughts.

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