Making bags is huge fun- you get to make something that is beautiful and useful. And the best thing of all, the fun doesn’t have to stop there. We can also make accessories for bags! I know right!

This time, my post is all about how to make a professional looking tassel on a swivel clip to add to your bags. I have used it on my Chattanooga Train Case to keep the zipper pulls together but it would clip on anywhere that you think could do with a tassel. You can make earrings with these too. The method is the same.

My tassel is made from a leather scrap – in the interests of not wasting anything if I can help it and re-using what I can, I buy bags of leather scraps from eBay which originate from the clothing industry and because they are mixed, there are all sizes and colours. You can guarantee a tassel or three!

If you don’t want to use this product, you can also use vegan leather- aka polyvinyl or even a leather look paper. Cork, wool felt or glitter fabric is brilliant too and all of these things give a slightly different look to the finished item. Pretty much anything which will not fray or fall apart is a green light. Experiment!

So what do we need for these tassels?

• a scrap of your chosen material and it needs to be around 4″ wide x 5″ long. You may need more for thinner materials like paper leather and cork. In this case, the scrap can be 6-7″ long.
• a second scrap of the same material cut 1/4″ wide x 7 1/2″ long
• a small swivel clip. Mine is about 1 1/4″ long and gold but the colour is up to you
• glue that is suitable for your tassel material. Hot glue is great but a clear drying fabric glue works too. It needs to be strong.
• a cutting mat and a small ruler
• a sharp cutting implement- sorry to be so vague here but there are lots of options. I am actually using my old surgical scalpel which is great for precision cutting. You can use any precise craft knife

Okay so first of all, trim your material to 3 3/4″ wide x 4 1/2″ long. Actually if you have opted for cork or paper leather, you will need slightly more and I suggest 6-7″ long for this. The width can vary too but for now, let’s keep to a standard size and then we can vary the length by trimming a bit off the fringe at the bottom.

The next step is to cut strips 1/4″ apart and about 3/4″ from the top edge like this. Go slow and concentrate. It is fine to mark the strips but a quilting ruler is easier because you have nothing to erase after. The lines are all on the ruler

Right, almost done! the next thing is to prepare the swivel clip. Take the long strip and thread it through the ring of the clip

Now glue it about 1″ down. This is to keep the clip in place.

Fold the strip over, making sure that the ends are even and clip the strip closed while the glue dries

Next glue the clip slightly above your panel on one end. The best way to do this is to position the fringed panel side edge away from you (the ‘side edge’ in this case is where the clip is going to go). This means the fringes on the right for me but I am right handed and you can do this either way so work out which is more comfortable for you. Rolling towards yourself is easier.

Put some glue along the top of the panel. If you are using hot glue, only do a bit at a time because it will dry too quickly. My glue allows for some open time so I can play around a bit.

Now roll, quite tightly and making sure that the top edge stays level.

Add more glue if you need to and then when the roll is finished, clip or put something heavy onto it for a couple of hours to keep it together. I love a Wonder Clip for this.

Et Voila! You have made a tassel! Move over Louis Vuitton and Chanel too. This is actually all there is to making a top end tassel. You can leave the middle plain or add embellishment. the choice is all yours. How cool is that!

In the pictures you can see my latest bag pattern which is available now in my Etsy shop. It is called the Chattanooga Train Case and it is a really useful pattern in two sizes. It is actually suitable for beginners who have some skills and confidence and the zipper is actually the easiest possible. You can see a similar zipper construction on this zipper pouch.

Well then. I will leave you to go and make tassels. Don’t forget that this is a great upcycling project and you can cut up old leather and vinyl clothing to re-purpose.

Have fun and see you next time!

Hugs

Debbie xx