Getting ready for Summer means getting ready to VACAY! And every good vacay is going to require a sun hat. It’s important to keep your skin protected and floppy sun hats do the trick very nicely. When I started shopping for one of my own, I came across this FABULOUS BcbgMaxazria Tasseled Panama Hat and fell immediately in love. But at $78 it was a little out of my price range for something I only wear a couple of times.
Step 1. Gather your materials.
You’re going to need a hat. I found mine for $4 at Walmart. Find one you like. I have a weird hat head and wanted to make sure that I liked the way it looked on my head. This one was great!
Head to your nearest craft store and pick up your favorite colors in embroidery thread (if you don’t know where to find it, just ask a sales person). There are literally hundreds of colors to choose from. I chose the 6 colors you see here. You will need 2 of each color and one extra of the color you plan on using as the band that goes around the hat.
Scissors… I’m sure you have some of those lying around.
And lastly, Frey Check. You will find this in the fabric/sewing section of your craft store. This is going to hold all of our knots in place.
Step 2. Take one of your embroidery threads and remove the two pieces of paper . The thread is already wound into this oval shape. Do your best to find the center of the circle and lay it out like the photo above. This is important, this is how the tassels stay together. Don’t let the thread get messy, its almost impossible to save once it does. Usually, the less you handle it the better (they’re only 40 cents each so grab a few extra if you’re a first timer).
Next, find the end of your thread and cut 4 three/four inch pieces. These will be the pieces you use to complete the tassels. All the while, make sure that thread stays separated in it’s oval.
Step 3. Take one of those three/four inch pieces you cut and use it to tie up the end of the oval shaped thread in a SINGLE KNOT. This will be removed later so don’t tie it on too permanently. Do the same thing to the other end of the oval. It should look like the photo above on both ends.
Step 4. You can now smooth the thread out into on single line like it was originally packaged. Take the remaining two three/four inch pieces and tie it about 1/2 inch from each end of the thread. Do this to both ends of your thread. Both ends should look like the photo above. This knot you will want to double or triple knot to be sure it doesn’t come loose. After you’ve tied the knot several times, put a dab of Frey Check on the knot and let it dry.
Step 5. Now it’s time to cut your tassel. Each embroidery thread will create 2 tassels. 1 on each end. I cut mine about 2 inches long from top to bottom. Use the first one you cut as a guide for all the rest. You can always trim them later so cut them longer if you’re not sure of the length you want.
Repeat steps 2-5 until you have a all of the tassels you need like in the photo below.
Step 6. Take the thread that you bought for the band around the hat and cut a 2 foot piece. I doubled this up and cut two 2 foot pieces to be sure that my thread is a little thicker. You can do as many as you like.
Put a pieces of scotch tape on both ends of the ‘band’ thread to keep it from freying and make it easier to thread through the loops.
Thread your ‘band’ thread through the top loop of your first tassel. That knot you tied in step 2 is going to help you find the center of the look. Once you thread it through you can remove the single knot.
Once you get the tassel where you would like it to stay, use the ‘band’ thread to tie a single knot around the top of the tassel to keep it in place.
Step 7. Repeat the last step until all of your tassels are threaded onto the ‘band’ thread. I tied mine about an inch apart from each other.
Step 8. Lastly, take your tasseled band and place it around your hat. I had to remove 2 tassels to make it fit properly. Tie the two ends of the ‘band’ thread together and finish it off with a dab of Frey Check.
At this point you can also go back and trim any loose ends on the tassels left over from the knots. As long as you’ve secured them with frey check, they should hold just fine.
And there you go, you’ve got an adorable, unique sun hat ready to head to the beach. I love how mine came out and cannot wait to wear it on my vacay in July!
Happy Crafting!
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below!
