This was my first tassle garland I made with the Martha Stewart Fringe Cutter and I must say that it worked like a charm! It made it SO much easier to get perfect straight lines and also made it way less time consuming. This little gadget actually didn't get great reviews online and I was about to return it but I figured I would just test it out myself first since I plan on making about 60 tassels for another project. Once I got the hang of it and figured out how to correctly use it, (I watched a few you-tube videos that helped a lot) I was SO surprised and amazed how great it actually did work. It does take a little bit of time (a lot more when you have a toddler running around and wanting in on the action). I think the hardest part of all was the last step when you do the twisting. It was hard to get it tight because I was so afraid of tearing it since tissue paper is so immensely thin.
I definitely still need some more practice but over all I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm sure as I do some more I'll probably look back on this one and laugh thinking how not perfect it actually was. And if you put it in a competition to tassels that are for sale in Etsy shops mine would probably come in last place. But for now, I'm pretty happy with it and the best part, my son (who I made it for) loves it and would never realize any imperfections.
This is what you will need to create the tissue paper garland:
12 pieces of tissue paper (I like the hallmark tissue paper the best)
Martha Stewart Fringe Cutter (sold at almost every craft store) OR scissor
Glue Gun or glue dots
Twine or ribbon
So here's how create it...
There are basically four steps
Step #1
Fold tissue paper in half, then in half again.
Step # 2
Use your Martha Stewart Fringe Cutter and simply roll the blade down the tissue paper. The folded side should be towards the bottom. You do not want to cut the entire paper. You need to cut away at least 2 inches from the folded side. (You will see why in the next step). If you don't have the fringe cutter you can use a scissor to cut strips. I cut half inch strips for this garland but you can adjust the measurements to your liking.
Step #3
Open up the tissue paper. The middle part will be the part that was not cut. Use your fingers and roll up the un-cut part of the tissue paper. As you roll you will have to keep untangling the cut side. (It tends to get a little tangled as you roll it).
When it is completely rolled up it should look like this..
Step #4
Twist the middle un-cut portion as tightly as possible (be careful not to rip the tissue paper as it is very thin) and then fold in half and twist together. Then, viola! You have just created your very first tissue tassle!
Now, time to put the garland together....
To assemble the tassle garland just simply grab some twine or some ribbon, even some string would work (whatever you have) and slide it through each loop. To ensure that each tassle stays in place, use your glue gun and glue the tassle directly on the twine or ribbon. You will just need a dot of glue so if you have a mini glue gun that would work best. You could also use a small glue dot to hold it into place. (I love those things!) If you are really particular and a bit of a perfectionist you can gather each tassle and trim the bottom so that each strip is equal and hangs evenly and nicely.
I hung the tassle garland in my son's playroom and it looks stinking adorable!
Hope you have as much fun making it as I did!
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