DIY faux leather tassels are a great way to add color and flair to your shoes, purses, or even jewelry, and you won’t believe how easy they are to make!
Did you know today marks that start of National Craft Week? To celebrate, I’ve teamed up with some of my favorite makers for CRAFTWEEK, a full week of projects and giveaways. We have a different theme each day, starting with the wild card projects today. You can find the giveaways all week on my Instagram. And scroll to the end of the post to see more of today’s projects!
This project is giving me major desert vacation vibes, you guys. As in, get me out of the DC drearies and off to Saguaro Park or somewhere in Mexico ASAP!
I made these faux leather tassels with a pair or pretty summer sandals in mind, and I love how they turned out. But when I finished I realized they’d be perfect for booties, purses, luggage – even adorable home decor!
Plus, it’s such a quick, easy project that once you make a set, you’re probably going to find yourself hunting down things to add tassels to. Sorry, not sorry. ;)
This is a super beginner-friendly tassel project since it’s no-sew and uses fabric glue. It’s even kid-friendly as long as you help with the cutting!
Before we dive into the directions for how to make leather tassels, here are answers to a few common questions:
How do you make tassels?
Tassels are insanely easy to make. You just start with a simple rectangle and scissors, cutting straight lines. Yes, it’s that easy! You don’t even have to sew anything! Scroll down for full instructions to get started right away.
How do you make vinyl tassels?
You might want to use vinyl fabric if you’re vegan or prefer to avoid crafting with animal products.
The process for making vinyl tassels is pretty much identical to making leather tassels. The major difference will be the long-term wear. Leather falls, settles, and wears better over time. With vinyl, you’ll get some curling and brittleness eventually. You can keep a rubber band around the bottom of your vinyl tassels to help prevent this.
How do you make fake leather tassel earrings?
Well, you’re in luck — you can use this exact same method to make earrings. When you get to the step where you glue the tassels onto the cord, you’ll just make a loop in the cord and glue both ends inside the tassel.
How do you make a leather tassel necklace?
Yep, you got it — it’s exactly like making leather tassel earrings. You can use my faux leather tassel instructions and the same modification I provided for earrings. Just loop the cord back on itself instead of leaving one end loose.
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DIY Faux Leather Tassels
Supplies
You can use any shoes or sandals you like, but I find that a bit of heel gives more room for the tassels to swing around without dragging on the floor. Please note that my post does contain affiliate links. Today’s CRAFTWEEK post is sponsored by Darice. Make sure to stop by my Instagram to enter the awesome giveaway!
- Marine vinyl fabric
- Fabric scissors
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Cotton cord or heavy twine
- Fabric glue
- Rubber bands or twine
- Sandals or shoes
- Leather punch or drill
- Eyelets and eyelet-setting tool
Instructions
1. Cut four 3″ x 6″ rectangles from marine vinyl fabric. Use a pencil and ruler to mark a line an inch from the top.
Note: You could use any vinyl, but since these tassels will be outdoors in the elements from time-to-time, I find marine vinyl to be a better option since it’s more weather-resistant.
2. Cut fringe all the way up to the pencil line. Be sure to use sharp scissors meant for heavy-duty projects.
3. Cut two long pieces of cord or twine. I recommend using a soft, cotton cord since it will be in contact with the back of your ankle, and you don’t want it to irritate your skin.
4. Squeeze a thin layer of fabric glue all over the back of the vinyl in the area above the pencil line. Wrap it around the cord or twine, rolling it very tightly as you go along. Wipe away any glue that squeezed out the top or end.
Note: Only do this with one tassel at one end of each piece of twine!
5. Secure with rubber bands or twine in several places.
6. Punch two holes in the backs of the sandals or shoes. I used a leather punch, but you could even use a regular drill if you put a block of wood inside the shoe to drill through.
7. Finish the holes with eyelets or grommets. I used a grommet-setting tool, but you can also use an eyelet-setting kit like this one.
8. Pull the cord or twine through the holes, adjusting until you like the height of the tassel, and then tie a double-knot.
9. Add the second tassel using the same method as before. Make sure to add it at the same height as the first tassel, since you won’t be able to untie the knot and make adjustments after this step.
10. Add rubber bands or twine to the new tassels. Since vinyl doesn’t hang the same way as real leather, I recommend keeping twine or a rubber band around the bottoms of the tassels when you’re not wearing them to keep them from bending and fanning out too much.
Optional: If you’re worried about the cord or twine rubbing the back of your ankle inside the sandal, you can glue a piece of soft fabric over it inside the shoe.
Printable Instructions
How to Make Faux Leather Tassels for Purses or Shoes
Make these DIY faux leather tassels to embellish shoes, a purse, or a keyring.
Materials
- Marine vinyl fabric
- Cotton cord or heavy twine
- Fabric glue
- Rubber bands or twine
- Sandals or shoes
Tools
- Fabric scissors
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Leather punch or drill
- Eyelets and eyelet-setting tool
Instructions
- Cut four 3" x 6" rectangles from marine vinyl fabric.
- Mark a pencil line an inch from the top.
- Cut fringe all the way to the pencil line.
- Cut two long pieces of cord or twine.
- Squeeze a thin layer of fabric glue onto the back of the vinyl above the pencil line.
- Wrap it around the cord or twine.
- Secure with rubber bands or twine.
- Leave the second end of the cord free, with no tassel.
- Punch two holes in the back of each shoe.
- Finish the holes with eyelets.
- Thread the cord through the holes in the shoes.
- Tie a knot, and then glue the second tassel onto the loose end.
- Trim any excess cord.
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The post How to Make Faux Leather Tassels for Purses or Shoes appeared first on Shrimp Salad Circus.