How to make a tassel for the Strudel quilt wall hanging

When I saw the first draft of Xanthe’s Strudel quilt pattern, before even cutting my pieces, I knew I needed a wall hanging with a tassel!  I don’t know how to explain it… I’m not normally drawn to tassels – they make me think of old and heavy velvet curtains, which I would normally only appreciate in an old theater and not so much in my own home – but I find it just adds that perfect little twist, making it a gorgeous and unique wall hanging.  So here’s my tutorial for how to make a tassel for the Strudel quilt wall hanging.

Never made a tassel before?  Neither had I, but believe me, it is sooo easy! 

How to make a tassel

Materials:

• Perle cotton thread, or similar
• A completed wall hanging that comes to a point, like the Strudel quilt

In general, I would say a thinner thread makes for a more elegant tassel, a thicker thread gives you a more rustic look.  For my tassel I used DMC size 5 perle embroidery cotton.  I like the subtle sheen and I find it goes perfectly with the hardwood dowel and the cotton string I used to hang the quilt.  And, most importantly, it almost perfectly matches the colour of my binding!

Step 1: Decide how large you want the tassel to be. Cut a piece of cardboard to size or simply find something within your reach that has similar or slightly larger dimensions – you can always trim it later.  I used a 2.5” wide acrylic ruler and that worked out just perfect. 

Step 2: Wrap your thread around your cardboard, or whatever you’re using, until your coil is as thick as you would like your tassel to be (with my pearl cotton that was about sixty times), then cut the ends.  Take a 10” long piece of thread, feed it through the coil you just created and tie a tight knot. 

Step 3: Carefully slip the tassel off the wrapping device and fold it at that spot so that the knot is now at the top of the tassel.  Take a second 10“ long piece of thread and wrap it twice around the entire tassel, about ¼” to ½” below the tip.  Try to create a somewhat spherical shape at the top of your tassel and tie another tight knot. 

Step 4: Cut the thread loops open at the bottom and trim the ends to the desired length if necessary. 

Step 5: Now you just need to attach your beautiful new tassel to your quilt.  Thread one of the two strings at the top of your tassel through a sharp embroidery needle and poke it through the binding of your quilt, front to back, about 1/8” from the edge, and tie a knot in the back. Trim the ends and voilà, you’re done! 

Now that your wall hanging is finished, you will want to hang it. There are several ways to do that.  I have a detailed tutorial on my blog for a rustic look with fabric loops, a wooden dowel and a string, like shown at the beginning of this post – head over to Apples & Beavers for a detailed tutorial! 

Once your new wall hanging is up, grab yourself a piece of delicious apple strudel and enjoy – both strudels!  What do you think about the tassel addition?  Tell me in the comments if you’ll be adding one to your Strudel quilt wall hanging!