Chapters 5-7: Cords, Tassels and Buttons

These three chapters were addictive and I did feel as though I could have gone on and on adding more and more samples but time pressures demanded that I stop so I've added a selection here to show the various types of each that I played with.

Fig.5.1

I'm hoping that you are able to see the different types of cords here. From left to right and ignoring the numbers you can see on some of the samples ...

1. The thick orange cord on the very left hand side of the photograph is a twice twisted length of sari ribbon.

2. Next come two machine wrapped cords made from organza strips (yellow) and sari ribbon (purple)

3. A chunky weight wool machine wrapped with some areas left unwrapped to give added texture.

4. Two twisted cords - the yellow one on the left is stranded cotton and the bi-coloured one is a shiny chainette thread.

5. Next (actually marked 5 on the photograph!) are two plaited machine made cords. The left hand one of the two is a normal three stranded plait while the thicker one has four strands. I did struggle to get my head around how to plait more than 3 strands but once I got into the swing of it I thought I might actually go on and see if I could manage even more than 4.

6. Next is a bundle of three knotted cords. The first of these is made up of two machine wrapped cords which have been knotted together at random intervals. The second has been knotted in such a way that the cord twists around making a lovely spiralling cord. The third is made up of three machine wrapped cords which was supposed to be the double ridged hitching cord but I'm not at all sure that I did it correctly. Mine has turned into a lovely wide flat braid however. 

7. A wrapped cord with chunky beads added into the wrapping at intervals and also with some gaps left in the wrapping to expose the core threads which are of a contrasting colour.

8. (Marked 8 on the photograph too) is a cord made using a Lucet using the metallic chainette thread again.

9. These last two braids heading out to the right of the photograph are made on cording discs. The thicker of the two has produced a spiralling pattern with the use of the two colours of cords.

Chapter 6 - Tassels

Fig. 6.1

This time I think that the numbers on the page are easier to see so I'll use those to explain how each tassel was made.

1. A wide machined tassel using metallic machine thread.

2. A narrow machined tassel using the same thread as before.

3. A simple tied tassel using two colours of metallic machine thread.

4. A tassel made with stranded cotton with a buttonholed cap.

5 and 6. are silk cocoons decorated with beads with strings of beads as the tassel strands.

7. A decorated silk cocoon cap with variegated kinked rayon thread body.

8. Silk yarn bound with a strip of silk cocoon decorated with beads added to hide the binding threads.

9. Tubular yarn tassel with buttonholed plastic curtain ring as a header.

10. Soft silk yarn tassel bound, buttonhole lace added over the binding to hide the threads. Then four smaller tassels simply bound were added around the base of the buttonholed binding to make a tassel worthy of being a curtain tie back!

11. The header of this final tassel is a small cotton ball covered with buttonhole lace. The tassel itself is simply bound to hide the join with the header.

Chapter 7: Buttons

Fig. 7.1

Sample 1 is a series of Dorset buttons of various sizes and designs. I was pleased to have worked out how to make the spiral design in the larger two buttons.

2. The beaded top of a silk cocoon.

3. Fabric toggles with buttonholed ends and beads wrapped around them.

4. Toggles made from Tyvek - some with wire and beads added.

5. Toggles made from paper.

6. Embroidered and beaded buttons made on metal self-cover button bases.

7. Mountboard shapes covered with fabric and beads.

8. Yorkshire buttons. These, as the caption says, are made on a card template with notches around the edge and are definitely addictive!. I love the fact that they look like sea urchins.

And then finally ... because I couldn't resist experimenting a little ...

A little vessel made from a several strands of a thick silk yarn which I machine wrapped to make a cord and then spiralled around whilst binding it to make a little vessel. It is actually quite sturdy but small though the technique obviously has lots of potential for making larger vessels.