1. For the tassel cording.
Determine how big you want you "loop". Remember the beaded head must be able to slip thru it. The excess will be part of the tassel body.
2. Take the last remaining 24" piece of thread cut. Make a loop at the bottom. The longer side of the loop with be your working thread to make the neck.
Using the above photo as an example, I would pick up the red thread and lay it on top of my cording in the same way they are laying side by side.
Now, with your working thread, the long red one in the photo above, start making you neck. I hold this in my right hand just as it is, with my thumb over the spot where I want my neck to be. Start wrapping from the top down to the loose ends of the cording. Make these wraps loose, but neat. If they are not neat, it will not matter because the beads will cover it up. I make 10 or 12 or 16 or 18 or 20 wraps...... depends on the mood I am in and if I am counting or not!
When you are satisfied with your neck wraps, take the working thread and put it down in the loop. Hold on the the thread once it is in the loop. I use my ring finger to control this! Now, the shorter thread that has just been hanging out while you were wrapping your neck, pull slowly on this to secure your working thread.
This will leave one thread sticking out of the top of your neck and one out the bottom. With the thread out of the top of the neck, thread your needle. I skip a couple of the top wrap threads and then put my needle under the rest of the wrap threads and out the bottom of the wrap, so that both threads of out the bottom. Then I tie a double knot with these 2 threads.
Now it is time to attach your 5 tassels!
With the top tie thread on one of the tassels, thread your tapestry needle. Now go up from the bottom of the cord neck. The directions say to then take your needle off. Tie a double knot and re-thread your needle and go back down inside the neck of the cording. I do not do this!
I skip the first couple of wrap threads and go down under the rest of the neck, and come out the bottom of the cording neck, I then pull my tassel up to the bottom of the neck cord and with the ends still in the needle, I run the needle down under the neck on the tassel that I am securing, making the tie ends part of the tassel body!
Keep doing this until you have all 5 connected. I try to keep the tops and the individual tassel necks even, just because I am anal, but all in all the beads are going to cover an imperfections up!
Once all your tassels are connected, then, use the last remaining thread, should be about 36" long. Thread your tapestry needle. Make a big knot in the end and dive into the middle of the group of tassels, hiding the knot inside. Come out with the needle, go over 1 tassel and under 2. Keep doing this until the bundle feels secure, maybe 6-10 times around. You will have more than enough thread to do this. Once the bundle is secure, dive the needle down under one of the tassel necks, and you are ready to trim up your tassel.
Slide your plastic core from the pearl cotton over the tassel. I find it is easier to go from the top down. Use this to help you trim up the bottom of your tassel. Take it off several times and shake the tassel out and smooth it out and trim some more. Be careful.... this can get to be obsessive compulsive or how ever you spell it!!!!
You are now ready to start beading!!!!
