Make a tassel bookmark

Finished tassel bookmark in a book
You will need:
  • Card or thick paper
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Black pen
  • Scissors
  • Cotton, string or wool
  • Beads (optional)


To make the bookmark

 

Long thin rectangle of card
1. Cut a long thin rectangle of card.
Marking horizontal lines on the card
2. Draw a series of horizontal lines lightly in pencil. They don’t need to be identically spaced. Use a ruler to help you measure the same distance on each side. Also make sure you leave a space at the bottom (where you will attach the tassel).
Drawing the shape of book spines on the bookmark
3. Again in light pencil, draw the shape of book spines using your horizontal lines as a guide. You may want to add some details to the books too.
4. Once you’re happy with your stack of books go over the outline in black pen.
5. Cut away any excess card so that your bookmark follows the shape of the book stack but leave a tab at the bottom to attach the tassel.
6. You may choose to colour the bookmark now or alternatively, colour and complete each book spine every time you finish a book!


To make the tassel

Folded card
1. Take another piece of card roughly 20cm x 10cm and fold it in half.
Wrapping cotton around the card
2. With the crease running along the top, wrap cotton around the card until you’re happy with how full your tassel will be.
Finished wrapping with a long string leftover
3. Leave a long string running off the tassel before detaching it from the rest of the ball.
Second piece of cotton, folded in half
4. Cut a length of cotton that’s at least twice the depth of the cardboard and fold it in half.
Knotting the folded cotton around the tassel
5. Thread the folded end of the cotton under the wrapped strings on the cardboard near to the crease. Secure the thread to the tassel with two firm knots. You have made the loop that will attach the tassel to the bookmark.
Cutting the threads to make the tassel
6. Slide your scissors into the open end of the card and cut the threads that cross it. Make sure you don’t trim the long string you left in step 3. Don’t worry that the tassel is uneven, you can trim it at the end.
Wrapping thread to make the head of the tassel
7. Grab the top of tassel and wrap the long strip around the head of the tassel just under your fingers a number of times.
Finishing off the tassel
8. Pick up one of the tassel threads and knot it firmly with the strip that you wrapped around in step 7.
9. You may want to trim the end of the tassel to the same length at this stage.


Attaching the tassel

1. Make a small hole in the bottom of your bookmark with a sharp pencil.
2. If you’d like to add some beads to your tassel thread them onto the loop now.
3. Thread the loop through the hole in your bookmark and then pull the rest of the tassel through the loop to secure it.