How to Make Beaded Tassels

Beaded tassels are great accessories that can be used to decorate around the home or to add some style to jackets and other types of clothing. The tassels can even be used to create unique pieces of jewelry, such as earrings. Easy and fun to make, beaded tassels can be created using any color combination desired for the intended purpose.

1. Measure the desired length of the tassel. Allow roughly 3 times the amount of length that you need for the finished product, as this allows room for not only the head of the tassel but also length of the trailers.

    

2. Determine the number of trailers you want. Many designs call for a minimum of 9, but use whatever number will work well in your application
3. Cut a length of upholstery thread that coincides with the length of the desired number of trailers, and insert the end of the thread through the eye of a beading needle. Tie a knot at 1 end of the upholstery thread.
4. Use what is known as a starter or master bead at the bottom of the thread. The starter bead is normally a larger bead in the design that serves as the stopper for the rest of the beads in the strand.
5. Follow with a succession of beads to create the length of beads desired for each trailer on the tassel. Make the design as eclectic or as simple as you like. Beads can vary in size and shape, depending on the look you wish to achieve.
6. Slide the succession of beads onto the trailer. Cut off the knot at the end of the upholstery thread, and attach 1 end of the trailer. Gently pull the trailer through the beads until the top of the trailer emerges from the last bead in the series. Make sure the trailer is taut, with no extra length along the strand. Promptly tie 1 end of the trailer to keep the beads in position.
7. Repeat the process for each of the trailers desired for the tassel until the desired number of trailers are complete.
8. Combine the trailers to form the head of the tassel. Knot the individual trailers together, positioning the knot as close to the beads as possible, but far away enough that the trailers can hang freely. Loop the trailer, and tie in place to create a means of hanging the tassel.
9. Thread a larger bead over the knot of the loop and the knot. This helps to hide the knot and give the tassel a finished look. If desired, use a small drop of hot glue to hold the bead in position.

    

• Doing the beadwork on a flat surface will make it easier to thread the beads in the pattern you have in mind, and also makes it easier to compare the succession of beads on the trailer you are working on with the ones you've already completed.
• Be creative when it comes to covering the knot at the top of the tassel. In lieu of a large bead, you can also use small silk flowers or decorative buttons that are attached using a hot glue gun.

• Tape Measure
• Scissors
• Beading Needle
• Upholstery Thread
• Combination of Beads
• Trailers for the Tassel