How to Make Tassels for Bellydancing
According to the BBC, tassel making is a 17th-century art from France, known as passementerie. You can make tassels out of many materials; for belly dancing, finer and metallic fibers are best. In a short time, you can form the tassels that create a belly-dancing tassel belt with components made to your specific tastes.
Things You'll Need
- Heavy cardboard
- Yarn, stranded cotton thread or other desired fibers
- Masking tape
- Scissors
- Tapestry needle
Instructions
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1
Cut a piece of heavy cardboard to the length of your desired tassel. Make this card 4 inches wide.
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2
Cut 8 inches of your fiber and attach to the top rim of the cardboard with masking tape. This is the holding thread.
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3
Wind your fiber around the cardboard, lengthwise, until it is as thick as you like.
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4
Make a knot at the top with the holding thread. This will secure all the tassel threads at this top point.
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5
Form the neck of the tassel by cutting a 16-inch piece of thread and, with one end, make a loop facing down. Hold it in place with your fingers.
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6
Wrap the fiber around the tassel body with the strands arranged right next to each other to create a neck.
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7
Thread the end through the loop and pull it taut.
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8
Feed the thread ends through the tapestry needle's eye and draw these into the neck of the tassel to hide the ends. Trim with scissors.
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Tips & Warnings
Be creative-- add decoration or beads to your tassel head or onto individual strands.
Combining fibers makes interesting tassels.
References
- Photo Credit orange brush image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
