Five Minute Tassel Necklaces

Ways in Which Tassels are Rad by Aunt Peaches.

Tassels are rad because of lots of the following reasons. Ahem:

1. Tassels look very cool.
2. Your cat will think they are toys.
3. Tassels make your outfit look ethnic and bohemian enough to be interesting, but not so ethnic and bohemian you look like you work at the Renaissance Faire.
4. Tassles are Pom-Pom’s big sister, so that’s pretty neat.
5. Tassels look good on doorknobs.
6. Tassels are easy to make. Even for kids. Or people who say they are “all thumbs.” Because people with hands full of thumbs deserve cute jewelry too.

The End.

….actually, not the end. Actually there is a lot more. This is a huge post. Keep going!
That thing took five minutes to make. No, really. Five.

This one took a bit longer. Maybe 20 minutes. Half an episode of True Blood. That means I got a cool necklace in half the time it took to kill a vampire. Epic winning.

When Blitsy contacted me about making something featuring their awesome craft supplies, I thought this one was a no-brainer. Literally, you don’t have to think about it. You just get some embroidery floss and go to town.

The secret here is the embroidery floss. You buy it in these teensy candy colored bundles. Or, if you are like me, you buy it in a not-so-teensy jumbo pack and supply yourself for a year of tassel making (listen, I don’t mess around. Christmas is coming and the tassel situation is about to get real).

I’m going to split the instructions on this depending of how custom you want to make it.
Let’s start with level one; a jumbo two tone tassel of goodness.

What do you need?
Two loops of embroidery floss and a plain bead necklace (salvaged from the back of your jewelry box, or make one custom), and your sharpest pair of scissors. Now let’s get started!


How do you make it?
Tie the two floss loops of floss together in the exact center. Fold over, then use the knot strings to attach it to the necklace with another knot. Bring those knot strings back into the rest of the floss, and use a new 6″ piece of floss to wrap around the entire bundle tightly. Tie a double knot, then trim off the bottom as long or as short as you see fit. Presto!

Here is another version in green. I cut it a little shorter to keep it nice and neat.  It goes with everything. Jeans. Pajamas. Ballgowns. Hospital robes. Everything.

And here is a version using super small tassels attached to a ready made yellow necklace. I hadn’t worn that thing in ages, now I’v worn it twice this week. That’s the power of tassels!

Speaking of tiny tassels…want to make something a little more high end? No problem. It’s easy to make and you can get all the supplies from Blitsy.

What will you need?
Embroidery floss (one loop will make two small tassels), jewelry quality twine, large wooden beads, small metallic beads, O rings.

How do you make two tassels out of one loop of embroidery floss?
Thread a 6″ piece of floss to the middle of an O ring and tie in the center. Use the knot strings to poke through a loop of embroidery floss and tie at one end. Repeat this process at the other end of the floss loop. Use another 6″ piece of embroidery floss to tie off the bundle of thread 1/2 from the end. Repeat on the other side, then snip in the middle

How do you make a necklace?
Slide the following onto an 18″ length of jewelry quality twine (BB = Big Bead, SB = Small Bead, T=Tassel)

…then fill up the reminder of your strand with small beads and tie a secure knot. This is why I like making jewelry with twine – simple knots. No need to worry about fasteners or findings. Only thing you have to be careful about is that the hole in your small beads is large enough to thread twine. I’m crazy about the contrast between small metallic beads and big chunky wooden beads, but you can do all sorts of nifty things with just about any combination.

I’m thinking about revisiting this project with a whole hodgepodge of beads and tassel of varying sizes (stay tuned!) but I like the look of this one, especially paired next to a bold pattern fabric. Very Anthropologie.

This post is sponsored by Blitsy, an awesome source for online jewelry making materials, as well a host of other craft supplies at discount prices (seriously y’all, they have some good deals). Drop by their website, or connect with them online: Facebook and Pinterest and Twitter. 

Thanks, Blitsy!