Date: Fri, 30 Jan 1998 14:04:52 -0600
From: Leslie Callahan Ryan <lcallaha@tuc.com>
Subject: RS: Does anyone know how to use an egg beater to make
tassels? -Reply

Kathie,

That was the Home Show with Cary Collins (married to
Marianne-sp?-Mobley-sp?) and his co-host, at least most of the
time, Sara Purcell. The 'funny craft lady' was Carol Duvall,
now on the Home & Garden cable television station (HGTV).

Carol used the egg beater to make twisted cord to *attach* to a
tassel, not to make the tassel itself. To make the twisted
cord: Tie one end of the cording material (it works better if
you have at least two pieces which should be 3 x the length you
want the final product to be) to one of the "tines" of an
electric or hand-cranked egg beater. Have someone hold the
other end very tightly or tie this end to a drawer pull or door
knob or something stationary. Start cranking or use low speed
to twist the cord until it starts to kink up on itself. Stop
twisting. Grab the twisted cord in the middle of its (now
shortened) length and ease up on the taughtness between the two
ends. The cording will twist up on itself and then relax just a
little. That's it and it's nearly permanent.

Basic tassel: Cut a piece of cardboard that's a couple inches
wide and as long as you want the finished tassel to be. Wind
embroidery floss or yarn or gold thread or whatever around and
around and around that cardboard until your tired or you run
out of thread (save a couple feet to finish it off). For the
hanger, take a piece of the same stuff as the tassel, about 10
inches, and thread it under the wrapped up thread so it's
between the thread and the cardboard. Pull this piece to the
one edge of the cardboard and tie up all the wrapped threads
really really tight. Now slide a scissor blade under the
wrapped threads and cut them off the cardboard at the other
edge. Now take a foot or two of the same thread and start
wrapping around all the threads about 3/4 of an inch (or
whatever looks good) from the hanger. Leave a little tail of
this thread so you can use it in a knot in a minute. It looks
really professional if you lay these wrapping threads right
next to each other instead of the the kind of winding you did
to make the tassel body. Stop when you have just enough thread
to join to the tail I told you to leave so you can tie a know
with these two ends. Tuck the knot under the wrapping threads.
Now trim the tassel dangling threads so they're even.

The end.

Leslie "Finger Print-cess"