Wednesday, October 17, 2007

~TASSEL TALK~

The word 'tassel' comes from the Latin "tassau" which meant a clasp (as for the neck of a garment). This word was also later served to denote string ties, which ended in increasingly elaborate tassels. Today, tassels, or liripipes, are found on mortarboards during graduation ceremonies and possibly upon the shoes of the men at graduation. The tassel is a universal ornament is seen in varying versions in every culture around the globe.

These are some of my tassels and the way I use them. You can click on the photos to enlarge them.




















A tassel is a binding of plaited or otherwise gathered threads from which at one end protrudes a cord on which the tassel is hung, and which may have loose, dangling threads at the other end. Tassels are normally decorative elements, and as such one often finds them attached, usually along the bottom hem, to garments, curtains, or other hangings.










~PASSEMENTERIE~
In this craft a tassel is primarily an ornament, and was, of course, at first the casual termination of a cord to prevent unraveling as its ends which were tied in knots with the remainder of the cord hanging as shreds of it. As time went on, various peoples developed greater or lesser variations of this, until by the time of 16th century France, there was constituted the first Guild of Passementiers who formulated and documented the art of passementerie (pronounced: pahs/mahn/TREE). This art form had the tassel as its primary expression, but also included fringes (applied, as opposed to integral), ornamental cords, galloons, pompons, rosettes, and gimps as other forms. Tassels, pompons, and rosettes are point ornaments; the others are linear ornaments.



~COMPONENTS OF A TASSEL FROM TOP TO BOTTOM~

Its suspending cord
Its body, which is usually made up of one or more moulds
A skirt of fringe or other ornaments.


~MAKING A TASSEL WITH YARN~


(Information taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


Is there anyone here who makes tassels?

10 comments:

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I don't, but yours are lovely! Do you make them? I loved the little lesson on tassels too...Thanks!!
Penny

Anonymous said...

I have always admired tassles. I have a few. Love your photos. I was just at the store yesterday to see they are using them as Christmas ornaments. Very fun.

Take care,
Connie

Cathy said...

I love the Eiffel Tower! Really cute.

Shammickite said...

Thank you for your visit to my blog and your kind comments about the wedding cake. It was a great hit at the wedding. Your tassels are lovely, you have quite a talent!
BTW I posted pics of The Wedding, perhaps I will post some more tomorrow. We had such a great time, I'm exhausted!

Deborah aka Miss Bee said...

Thank you all for your comments.
I should carify - I didn't make these tassels. I have made simple ones many moons ago. Thank you for the compliments though!

Deborah

Lizzy said...

I have also tried making tassels in the past - I will photo some for you to see sometime - don't do a lot of crafts these days as I now own a horse!!

Debra from Bungalow said...

I tried making one , it didn't look so good. I have them all over the house....love all yours too!

DebraK

Lizzie said...

I used to make tassels! I used a wooden candle cup for mine- coated it all over the outside with glue, and circled it with dmc floss. I gathered up more floss with a silk purse cording, ran it thought the candle cup, and then topped it with a wooden bead also coated in glue and floss. At the very top of this ball, I put pretty beads. I will photograph one sometime. :0)

Thank you for sharing your reward with me!

Heather said...

WOW! All those tassles are so lovely!!!

Claudie said...

Holy Cow...you sure like Tassel's Miss Bee. You have some beautiful ones I must say. I think my fav is the pretty pink ones and some of those blues...wow.
See I'm learning more and more about you as I browse through your lovely posts. You've been doing this for a while now. I can see how your tiring of it just a little. I'm enjoying reading your blog and getting to know more about you.
I read about your mom. She died on Brittany's birthday. I remember you telling me that. I'm so sorry and I know you miss her so much.
xoxoxo