Scroll Saw Pyrography Yarn Tassel Maker

Uncategorized / By

Arts and Craft Show Sales Ideas found below the project instructions.

I am also looking for new idea that can inspire our next wood carving, scroll saw, or pyrography project.   I came across this idea, Yarn Tassel Maker, on Temu, loved it.  The original was cut from 1/2″ board and is for sale at $5.95.

I think we can do better on the wood layout design and have fun adding a decorative wood burning!  This is literally a ten minute project for the scroll saw cutting, sanding, and glue steps.  Add another 10 minutes for the pyrography sets.

The knitters, crocheters, and weaver in your family are just going to love you when you gift them this tassel maker.  As a crocheter, when it comes time to make a tassel I am scrambling for scraps of cardboard, thick enough to hold up to the yarn wraps, but thin enough to cut with my scissors.

My version is made with 3 pieces of 18″ plywood for strength, features a slot to  accurately wrap a gather yarn for the top of the tassel and the gather yarn for the bottom of tassel ball, plus has a slot between the plywood layers at the bottom of the tassel maker where you can insert you scissor blades for easy cutting.

Supplies:

3 pieces of 1/8″ plywood that measures 3″ wide x 5″ long
wood glue
masking tape
ruler
scroll saw or coping saw
graphite tracing paper
pyrography pen
paste wax finish
yarn
crochet hook or a large yarn needle
scissors

NOTE:  I made my first tassel maker to create a 5″ long tassel, but you can adjust the height of your tassel maker for 3″, 4″, and even extra long at 8″

NOTE:  I went right for my pyrography pen for the decoration, but you can leave your tassel maker un-decorated, add decorative stickers, and even use scrapbook stamps to add a small design.

How to Create the Tassel Maker

1.  My prototype was worked form 1/8″ foam core board.

On your 1/8″ plywood, make the outside dimensions for your tassel maker with a pencil – 3″ wide x 5″ long.  Mark a line 3/4″ down from the top.  Make a second line 1/2″ from the line above.  Mark a line 3/4″ in from one side of  the board.  This makes the slot area of the tassel maker.

Gang cut the three pieces of plywood, following along the pencil lines.

Cut 1/4″ from the bottom edge of one plywood piece.  This piece will become the center of the three layer stack.  By removing a 1/4″ from that piece you create the slot so that the scissors can easily slip above the yarn for cutting.

Note: If you are working with foam core board, cut each piece individually.  Use an exacto knife and hold the knife at a low angle to the board.  Drop the cut slowly, using two or three cuts for each line.  My foam core board prototype is as sturdy as my plywood project!

2.  Sand the edges of the plywood with 220-grit sandpaper.  Foam core board can be sanded with a fine-grit nail file, working each filing stroke in one direction.

3. Stack the pieces with the 1/4″ short plywood in the center, aligning the yarn slots.  Use carpenter glue to glue the three layers together.  Use masking tape to tightly hold the three pieces as the glue dries.  For the foam core board prototype I used hot glue.


4. In the finished prototype, above, you can see the scissors slot.

 

How to Use the Tassel Maker

5.  To create a tassel, hold one end of your yarn at the bottom of the tassel maker.  Wrap the yarn over the full height of the tassel maker  between 35 – 50 times depending on how thick a tassel you want.

 

6. Use your crochet hook to pull a 9″ piece of yarn under the wrapped yarn at the very top of the tassel maker.  Make several loops, pull tight, and tie off.  This yarn is used to secure your tassel to your hat or scarf.

 

 

7. Cut a 9″ length of yarn.  Slide the yarn into the slot at the top of the tassel maker.  Use a crochet hook to pull the yarn out of the slot on the opposite side of the wrapped yarn.  Lay the yarn over the wrapped yarn and repeat this step several time.  Pull the yarn tight and tie off. Use you crochet hook to pull the ends of the center wrap yarn behind the wrap, down into the tassel area.

 

8. Slide your scissors through the bottom slot of the tassel maker and cut all of the wrapped threads.

 

9.  Slide the tassel off the tassel maker!  You can use your scissors to trim up the tassel ends as needed.

 


10.  The tassel maker is quick and easy to make, fun to use, and let’s you make as many tassels as you need that are all the same size.

 

Arts and Craft Show Ideas!

I did the Craft Show circuit for many years and was always looking for that ‘show stopper’ idea that caught the someone’s attention enough to tease them off the walkway and bring them up to my booth or table.

There are several things that I learned early and worked over and over again.

1. You never make a sale unless you can get your customer into a conversation.

2. A customer will browse over your booth from a distance if you only have high priced items.  They will approach your table if you have some inexpensive items out at the front of the table.

3.  The little items bring them your table where you can start that selling conversation that will then bring their attention to your higher priced items.

4. At a craft show you are competing with every other crafter for that one lump sum of money that they are willing to spend at the show on a high priced purchase, while a customer often makes multiple lower priced purchases.

5.  You won’t get sales if you have to convince your customer that they need or want your products.  But you almost always get the sale if you simply let them convince themselves that they need what you are selling.

6. Looking at the photo above, this display would be on the front of my table, about one or one and half feet from where I would be standing.  Why? Because that little distance lets them approach without feeling that they will be ‘pounce’ on by my sales pitch.  But they are well within talking distance when they reply to your “good afternoon, are you enjoying the show?”

7.  Behind that display would be my selling basket for the tassel makers with several different sizes of maker, tassel makers with different designs, and with ribboned sets of 3″, 4″ and 5″ tassel makers.

8.  Color sells, and most wood carvings, wood burning, and scroll saw projects don’t have color.  But those tassels do, the knit hat does, and so do the brightly colored ribbons that are wrapped around the sets.

8. Again returning to the photo, the display visually shows the customer exactly what that ‘thing’ is, what it does, and how it works.  They don’t have to ask you anything, but they will tell you … grin … what it does and why they just must have one.

9.  Even my display scroll saw tassel maker has a designs that clearly shows ‘this is a tassel maker’, which emphasizes this is what you can make with it, and here is where you can use the tassels you make …

You have brought them into your booth and let them make the sale.

I really good you sell dozens of these little tassel makers at your next show!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Scroll Saw Pyrography Yarn Tassel Maker Read More »

Complete Pattern Collection on Sale!

General Crafts, Pyrography, Uncategorized / By

Treat yourself this holiday season to thousands of patterns, ideas, and templates.  All original art by Lora S. Irish.

Our best sale of the year, through Dec. 31st.

Today’s Tips and Tricks is below!!!!
Bullet paper covered wood ornaments for Pyrography

 

 

 

Our artist and author, Lora S Irish, has written 49 books during her crafting, wood carving, and wood burning career, dedicated to teaching you the basics to our favorite hobbies.  They make great stocking stuffers!  Available at Amazon.com.

 

Dec. 09, 2024 Tips and Tricks

 

Simple, quick, and just plain fun … These Christmas tree ornaments are worked on pre-cut wooden ornament shape that measure 70-80 mm/2 7/8 to 3 1/4″ round.

Supplies:

3″ wooden ornament pre-cut, finished shapes
Cream colored, gird, bullet journal paper – A5 or A6 size
DIY Paste Glue
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup whole milk
2 Tble. white vinegar
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. baking soda
Coffee filters
Small, lidded container
Retractable craft knife
Wood burning unit with a ball- , loop-, or writing tip pen
#2 pencil or All graphite drawing pencil
White artist eraser or Eraser dry cleaning  bag
Matt acrylic spray sealer or Fixit spray reworkable sealer
Assorted coloring media
Colored pencils
Gel pens
Watercolor paints

So I know you are wondering why go through this long … long … long … glue paper to wood process when you are a pyrographer and the pre-cut ornament is made of wood?

 

If we were working on basswood, birch, or poplar pre-cut wood ornaments I would not recommend gluing heavy-weight bullet journal paper to your ornament. These three wood species have tight grain that can be sanded smooth.  They are the primary three woods used for advanced pyrography work.  But most pre-cut wood shapes  are made out of a porous, wide grained wood, Paulownia,  that has been laminated to create a thin plywood which does not allow you to completely erase your pencil lines, burn with any consistency, or accept coloring in an even coating.

The left ornament is a bullet paper glued ornament.  The burned lines are fairly even in coloring, thickness, and depth.  The paper is a paler color tone that the raw wood ornaments which gives you bright white coloring and a wide tonal value range.  The center ornament was worked on the raw wood.  It shows how the open, porous grain of this wood causes skipped areas in your burned line, heavy dark dots and uneven coloring of the lines.  The right hand ornament also shows that the pencil outline has created a small dent in the wood, which hows even though the pencil lines have been erased.

Plus … the dot grid paper makes creating your own design or adding lettering to your ornament so easy!

Let’s get started:

Preparation:

1. Do not sand or buff your wooden ornaments. 

A slightly rough surface will give your DIY paste glue more area on which to adhere.  If you want even more ‘grab’ to your glue, lightly sand the ornament with 220-grit sandpaper.  Work any sanding strokes with the direction of the grain to create tiny channels that will fill with your paste.  Dust well.

2.  Make your DIY paste glue.

DIY paste glue has a very low moisture content, because you control how much water/whey liquid is left in the curd mix. Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. Curds is the soft, white substance, milk fat, formed when milk sours, used as the basis for cheese and what will become the paste glue.

For the strongest bond using any glue, you want some of the glue to soak into the top surface of the media you are gluing.  But when the glue has a high water content the paper soaks up that water and will expand and buckle.  Those buckles in the paper will remain after the glue dries.  By mixing your own paste glue, you can remove almost all of the water content, avoiding that expansion and buckling problem.

Mix together one-half cup of warm water and one-half cup of whole milk.  Mix.  Microwave for 30 seconds to bring the mix to room temperature.  Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.  This will curdle the milk, causing the milk to separate into the watery liquid called whey and small pieces of the milk fat, called curds.  Mix.  Put a coffee filter into a flour sifter or strainer.  Pour the glue milk into the filter, allow the liquid to drain well.  Scrape the remaining curd mix into a small refrigerator container that has a lid.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the mix.  Stir well.  The baking soda neutralizes any remaining vinegar acid.  A few very small clumps may remain but are easily brushed out when you apply the glue.  Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

3.  Apply one even coat of DIY paste glue to the surface of your wood ornament. I did not glue the ‘hanger cap’ area of my ornaments, as I planned to paint this area with gold marking pen.

4.  Lay the glue-covered ornament face down onto the grid, bullet paper, aligning the center of the wood ornament to the gird dots.  Turn face up and press well, working from the center out, to remove any air pockets.

Bullet journal paper comes in lined, blank, and gird prints.  Both the lined and grid versions are printed on both sides of the paper. The off-white, cream, and kraft brown colored papers tend to be a heavier weight of paper than standard writing or printer paper.  That extra paper weight means you have more paper fibers to absorb the small amount of moisture left in your DIY paste glue mix.  This helps greatly to avoid any expansion in the paper during the gluing process.

5.  Place your paper-glued ornament, face up on the table.  Lay one to two heavy books on top of the ornament to add a little, extra weight during the drying process.  Allow the ornaments to dry overnight.

Notice!!!! I did not cut the excess paper from the ornament before I allowed the glue to dry.  Again, the paper has soaked up the moisture from the DIY paste glue.  This softens the fibers.  If you try to cut before that moisture is gone and the paper fibers have re-stiffened, your paper is more likely to pull away from the ornament than be cut cleanly, leaving tiny areas of empty, paperless space on the finished ornament.

All glues – wood, acrylic, paste – need pressure to make the best contact between two surfaces.  For this project I stacked several ornament and then used a 2 1/2″ thick dictionary that I keep in the studio just for this purpose.

6.  Use a retractable craft knife. Remove the current cutting edge so your are working with a fresh point.  Lay the ornament upside down on a cutting mat.  Lay the knife edge against the wood ornament and use the ornament’s edge as your cutting guide to free the excess paper.  Save the grid paper scraps!  You will use them when you begin burning the pattern outlines.  Use can use a finger nail file to smooth the paper edges.

Save your bullet paper scraps for the wood burning steps.

A retractable craft knife has several advantages for projects like this.  You can adjust how long the cutting blade is.  The shorter the blade the more accurate you cut will be when you have an guide edge or lip as the wood ornaments give you.  You can remove the current point, using flat-nosed pliers, so that you have a new, sharp cutting point.  This is especially important whenever you are cutting paper.

Because you have allowed the glued paper to dry overnight, you will get a clean cut with no pulling on wet fibers.

Creating the design!

 

7. Using a pencil, lightly mark your pattern, using the gird dots as your guide.

There are some wonderful line art ideas that you can find on both Google, and Pinterest.  Search under Mandala patterns, line separators, and henna designs.  Please visit my pattern website, ArtDesignsStudio.com for original pattern line art for your next craft project.

8.  Set your wood burning unit to a medium to medium high temperature setting.  Test your temperature setting, and your pen tip selection by burning a few lines or test designs on the cut scraps of gird bullet paper.

I chose to wood burn my outlines because this sets the design permanently into the paper.  I can erase, work coloring, and seal the design without loosing that burned pattern.  Wood burning on paper also creates a tiny trough or lowered area where the line is burn.  This makes coloring easier a it becomes a gutter that naturally stops the spread of water color and acrylics.

9. Wood burn the design outline.

At this point in the project you can work you design as a stand-alone wood burning.  Add shadows, tonal values, and detailing by changing your pen tip or you can work just the outline and use other coloring media to add bright detailing.

10.  Using a white artist eraser, remove any pencil marks.  Dust the ornament well to remove any eraser dust.

Colored erasers – like the pink eraser on the end of your #2 pencil – are color dyed.  That color can leave a streak on your project that can not be removed.  Inexpensive pencil erasers are also more coarse in texture than a white artist eraser and can cause damage to the area you are working on both wood and paper surfaces.  An eraser pad, a cloth bag filled with eraser particles, makes a wonderful cleaning tool.  The flexibility of the cloth bag means you can clean any shape or texture easily.

11.  You are ready to decorate your ornament design using your favorite coloring media – colored pencils, gel pens, water colors, or craft acrylic paints.  Create layers of coloring by using either a light coat of matte spray sealer or reworkable spray sealer between lightly applied coats!

12. Sign and date your ornament on the back with either your wood burning tool or a pencil, so that your work is noted as being an original creation. Give your ornament several light coats of matte spray sealer, both front and back, to complete this project.

 

Hope you have fun.  ~Lora

Complete Pattern Collection on Sale! Read More »

Five Styles of Relief Wood Carving

Leave a Comment / General Crafts, Relief Wood Carving, Woodcarving / By

Since I was rambling on yesterday about tonal values / shadows and light, I thought I would show you how those tonal values are captured in our wood carving.

There are five main styles of relief carving – incising, sunken, low, middle, and high.

This is a continuation of yesterday’s posting, Tonal Values Add Depth to Your Wood Carving, Pyrography, and Colored Pencil Projects.

 

Click on the image below for the full-sized jpg.  Keep a copy on your computer for reference when working your next wood carving project.

Incised carvings, also called intaglio, are extremely flat and have little or not actual shadows on the main elements as those elements are not carved. Instead the background areas are carved to a very shallow depth and then cut with fine, sharp lines. This is the common techniques used for engraving.

Sunken relief is where the main elements are carved down into the wood and the background is left at its original depth. This is most often found in Egyptian stone carving.

Low or bas relief, also called basso-relieva, is a shallow carving technique where the joint lines between the main elements and the background are straight cut and visible. Few shadows are created in the work so this may also be called silhouette carving.

Middle relief, Canada Goose Relief Wood Carving Project, is the first carving technique that uses some undercuts to create darker shadows along the edges of some elements. Usually less that one-half of the element edges will be undercut with the remain edges or joint lines worked as bas or low relief.

High Relief, sometimes called alto-relieva or deep relief, heavily uses the technique of undercutting to make the main elements of the design appear to be free floating above the background. The shadow created by high relief range from extremely black to soft tones.

Cheryl Coupland is showing a fantastic example of high relief in her carved and painted floral bouquets.
https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.coupland…

Please keep a copy of my Quick Guide on your computer for reference and for ideas on how to approach your next project.

 

Practice these styles of wood carving with our free, online projects.

Mule Deer Relief Wood Carving

Relief Carving the Canada Goose

Wood Carving Celtic Dragon

 

Thanks for reading. ~Lora

Five Styles of Relief Wood Carving Read More »

Scroll to Top