RAINBOW Multi-Marking Bookmark

When I was about thirteen, I learned how to make tassels for bookmarks. For the crafts for kids challenge I decided to make a fun and cute multi-marking bookmark in the shape of a cloud with rainbow tassels. It's a bookmark to be enjoyed by people of all ages, and made by people aged about 7-100 (although children 7-12 years old may need the aid of an adult). So without further ado, let's get started!

For this project, you will need the following supplies:

1. Yarn or thicker thread in the colors of the rainbow (I use red, yellow, green, blue, purple)
2. A pair of scissors
3. Thick and hard paper or cardboard, preferably cloud-colored (or you can use ordinary cardboard and paint it). I used an old passepartout. In future I will refer to this as cardboard.
4. A pencil
5. A ruler
6. A hole puncher (or another tool to make holes in the cardboard with) Not seen in picture

Start by sketching a cloud on your cardboard. Preferably keep one edge of the cloud pretty straight (as seen in the picture).

Cut out the shape using your scissors.

Take your ruler and draw as many dots as you have colors of yarn evenly spaced out along the straight edge.

Use your hole puncher to punch out the dots. We will later attach the tassels in these holes :)

To make the tassels, start by taking the end of your yarn over your index and middle finger. Hold it there with your thumb. Remember to leave some space between your index and middle finger! The further apart you hold your fingers the longer the tassel gets. However, even if you want a very short tassel you still need to have some space between them. (First picture)

Wrap the yarn around your fingers. I wrapped the yarn twelve times, but you may want to wrap it less or more depending on the thickness of your yarn (the more times you wrap the yarn the thicker the tassel gets). Remember how many times you decide to wrap it so that you can repeat it with the next color of yarn. (Second picture)

Now, cut the yarn twice the length you want the yarn between the cloud and tassel to be, plus a couple of extra centimeters. I made it about sixty centimeters, so that it would work for larger books. Take the end of the yarn and pull it through the space between your fingers, hand and yarn. Wrap it around like that about three times. (Third and fourth picture)

Carefully remove your index finger from the yarn. Take the end of the yarn and push it through the hole left by your index finger. Remove the tassel from your middle finger, and carefully pull the tail of the yarn while making sure the yarn that's wrapped around the tassel is pulled tightly around the tassel. This may take some practice. (First, second and third picture)

Take your scissors and cut through all of the hoops at the bottom of your tassel. (Fourth picture)

Now you should have a tassel with a long piece of yarn attatched to it. We want to make this long piece of yarn into a hoop. Make a hoop by holding the end of your yarn to the top of your tassel and make a knot at the top of your tassel with the hoop. If you think it gets to long you can shorten the yarn before you do this, or simply hold the yarn togheter with some sticking out, that you may later cut. (Fifth, sixth and seventh picture)

Now you just need to repeat the previous step with all the other colors of yarn. Make sure to compare your tassels as you go along, so that they get the same thickness and length, and also the same lenght of the hoop.

All that's left now is to attatch the tassels to the cloud. Do this by inserting the tassel's hoop halfway into the hole of your cloud, and then take your tassel through this hoop before pulling it taut. Repeat this with all of your tassels in their own holes, and you're done!

Great work, you're all done! You can now mark several pages at once with differnet tassels in all the colors of the rainbow!

I hope you managed to understand my description of this process, but if something was unclear don't hesitate to ask in the comments below!

Lots of love,