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Fort Decorative Holdback Pair in Cocoa Esta Decorative Holdback Pair in Black Curl Decorative Holdback Pair in Black Bud Decorative Holdback Pair in Antique Brass This article is about ornamental item of decor. Car Seat Covers NoveltyFor Jewish religious tassel, see Tzitzit. Snow Chains Buy NzFor the township-sized administrative division in India, see Tahsil. Scalloped Neck Lace Wedding DressFor other uses, see Hilt and Maize. A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. A handmade tassel on drapery in the Governor of Vermont's ceremonial office. In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to tell the Israelites to make tassels (modern Hebrew tzitzit) on the corners of their garments, to help them to remember all the commandments of the Lord and to keep them (Numbers 15:37-40), and as a sign of holiness.

The religious Hebrew tassel, however, bears little resemblance to the decorative one which eventually became popular in Europe, especially France. In the West, tassels were originally a series of windings of thread or string around a suspending string until the desired curvature was attained. Later, turned wooden moulds, which were either covered in simple wrappings or much more elaborate coverings called satinings, were used. This involved an intricate binding of bands of filament silk vertically around the mould by means of an internal "lacing" in the bore of the mould. These constructions were varied and augmented with extensive ornamentations that were each assigned an idiosyncratic term by their French creators. In sixteenth-century France these individuals were called passementiers, and an apprenticeship of seven years was required to become a master in one of the subdivisions of the guild. The French widely exported their very artistic work, and at such low prices that no other European nation developed a mature "trimmings" industry.

Many of the passementiers, however, were among the Protestant Hugenots who fled France in the 1600s to escape persecution, taking their tools and skills with them.[1] Tassels and their associated forms changed style throughout the years, from the small and casual of Renaissance designs through the medium sizes and more staid designs of the Empire period to the Victorian Era with the largest and most elaborate decorative flourishes. Some of these designs are returning today from the European and American artisans, who may charge a thousand dollars for a single hand-made tassel. The majority of the world's tassel production, however, takes place in China which mass-produces and exports them globally. Tassels (also called tufts) were traditionally worn by Oxford and Cambridge University undergraduates on their caps, those wearing gold tassels were those who had paid for the status of "gentleman-commoner," thus receiving increased social prestige and more luxurious accommodation than ordinary commoners who wore plain black tassels on their caps.

[2] Today, only the Chancellor of Oxford wears a gold tassel. In the Middle East, tassels were worn as talismans, especially on headwear. In Egypt, Mesopotamia, and throughout the Arab world tassels were worn by children on hoods or caps to protect them from malevolent spirits and ward off demons. In the U.S., tassels, or liripipes, are also found on mortarboards during university graduation ceremonies and possibly upon the shoes of the graduates at the ceremony. Near the conclusion of the graduation ceremony, the tassel that hangs from the graduate's mortarboard is moved from the right to the left. Typically, the entire graduating class does this in unison. Making a tassel from yarn. A basic key tassel is made by binding or otherwise gathering threads from cord protrudes on one end, where the tassel is hung. This may have loose, dangling threads at the other end. Tassels are normally decorative elements, and as such one often finds them attached, usually along the bottom hem, to garments, curtains, pasties covering the nipples of burlesque performers, or other hangings.

A tassel is primarily an ornament, and was at first the casual termination of a cord to prevent unraveling with a knot. As time went on, various peoples developed variations on this, until by the 16th century in France the first Guild of Passementiers was created and documented the art of passementerie. The tassel was its primary expression, but it also included fringes (applied, as opposed to integral), ornamental cords, galloons, pompons, rosettes, and gimps as other forms. Tassels, pompons and rosettes are point ornaments; the others are linear ornaments. Fabric Type / Usage Decorating Fringe, Trim & Tassels Whether you are looking for a unique trim for your drapes, couch cushions, lamp shades or craft projects, our fabric stores have your perfect match. The right trim can give a finished sewing project more polish and professionalism. It just adds that something extra and can tie multiple fabrics together into a harmonious look. Our online fabric store offers a wide selection of traditional tassels and trims, lip cording and braiding in a broad spectrum of colors to compliment our beautiful silk fabric and various designer fabric.