to DIY for: Tasseled Tees


A Tutorial in Tasselled Tees...


By Helen Walker

This week I have made tasselled t-shirts, and as much as I wish they were weather appropriate at the moment, this is definitely not the case. They are, however, ridiculously easy to make – anyone with a pair of sharp scissors can have a go. 


Oversized t-shirts are ideal to customize; the black top began life as a men’s tank top and the grey t-shirt is a men’s extra large. 


The first stage is to make some initial slits in the bottom of the t-shirt. This way you can gauge how many cuts need to be made in order to create the tassels.




Then cut these chunks into the thinnest strips possible to make fringing. But be aware that strips that are too thin will disintegrate when you get to the knotting stage, just because of the nature of the material.










Now for the tedious stage- counting the strips so that you know how many knots you will be making and how many strips to include in each knot. Mine had a total of 67 strips at the front and 69 at the back, which meant I was just about able to make 34 knots, each consisting of 4 strips. 

After making the initial row of knots, the strips in each knot should be divided to make another row of knotting. Two strips are taken from adjacent knots and a new knot is made to create the latticed effect. 








All that is left is to trim the tassels and adjust the sleeves of the t-shirt, and you have a finished product. 


3 comments:

  1. Helen I love these! xxx

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  2. Furthermore cotton tees are usually best suited for casual attire. Short sleeved tops made with silk, spandex, cashmere or wool offer a more professional look and are look less wrinkled then cotton.
    www.teesnow.com.au

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  3. This is one way of displaying your artistic skills to your public - wear it on your chest and/or back (t-shirts have two sides.) Atlas Vinyl

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