Spring bedroom refresh and DIY striped or plaid tassel throw tutorial!
Also, I've been using throw blankets a lot recently for naps (new baby schedule) and changing up temperature throughout the night, but our throws are all pretty standard/small throw size and look dinky at the end of the bed! I looove the look I see at the high-end interior designer stores of a black and white or grey and white striped throw with big pompoms or tassels at the edges... they can be like $300+, though, so I did a DIY version!
I partnered with Tuesday Morning for this project and post.
I hadn't been into a Tuesday Morning store in years but got really inspired for updating our bedding and doing this DIY throw when I visited for this post! They have a variety of home goods at discounted prices, and I was pleasantly surprised by the choices - almost everything was tasteful and trendy despite the affordable price tags! Their buyers must be doing a good job... they do boast new deals every day, handpicked from around the world by their buyers. (You can see the weekly ad here and find your closest store here!)
They also have a variety of crafty and DIY lover supplies - lots of home organization stuff, some sewing and scrapbooking supplies, and--my favorite and part of this project--really high quality yarns! I haven't knitted in years, but I remember how hard it was to find wool or wool blend yarn at the big box stores. Tuesday Morning had nice brands in a variety of colors and almost all of it included real wool! I bought Carlton Merino Sport yarn for only $2.99 a skein (compare at $6.99).
First, here are my inspirations for this throw. (Scrolling through my bedroom Pinterest board I see lots more black/white/grey tasseled throws! Also, lots of mixing of white and ivory - I tried that with this project too!)
 |
| Image sources: Room 1, room 2 |
A basic lap robe/living room throw blanket is usually like 50"x60". Which is fine for keeping cozy on the couch, but looks way too small spread across a queen-sized bed (example: the "before" of our bedroom you'll see below). Looking at the $300+ designer throws, I found some came in twin or full sized, some were very wide but very narrow (like meant as decoration at the foot of a bed), and my favorite one was 50"x90". 90" wide!! That's slightly wider than a queen-sized comforter. Would also work on a king-sized bed. A standard twin blanket is 66"x90", so you could use one of those, or--I cut a king-sized blanket in half which made it 54"x90"!
Now the tutorial for my version of this cool trend!
Striped or Plaid Tassel Throw Tutorial
You will need:
- Large, loosely woven cotton blanket (I used a king and cut in half. It was $29.99, compare aat $80)
- Yarn
- Large needle
- Scissors
Instructions:
1. Play around with patterns for the plaid or stripes. You can make a striped look by weaving multiple rows close together, or keep them a little wider for more variety. Your options will depend on your blanket's weave, too. I did a few sample rows to see what I liked.
You could definitely do a bunch of small stripes throughout, or some wider stripes, or more plaid patterns... whatever you want!
Leave 5-10" of yarn hanging at the end.
Repeat! Repeat!
Do in pairs of two - ignore that group of three there, I added another. This will be important for tying the tassels on at the end.
3. Make the small tassels. To do this, cut two pieces of yarn about 5" long. Then, wrap the yard around two fingers 10 times.
Using one of the 5" pieces, double-knot at the top.
Wrap the other 5" piece around the top of the tassel and double-knot; cut off the ends 1/4" or so from the knots. (Don't tie the first knot too tight as it will distort the wrapped part, but tie the second knot very tightly.)
Cut through the loops opposite the tied end.
Trim the ends of the tassel so it's even.
4. Make the big tassels. Same steps as above, except cut one 6" long piece of yarn and one 12" long piece--the 12" long piece will wrap around near the top of the tassel. Wrap the yarn around four fingers, 50 times.
Tie one side of the woven piece to one side of the tassel, then the other. Double-knot, very tightly.
Trim the ends, again leaving about 1/4" of yarn.
6. Attach the big tassels by threading the large needle with one end of the tassel tie and sewing it through the top of the outside of the hem of the blanket.
Double-knot to the other tie and trim the ends. Use the needle to poke the knot into the hem.
Done!!
Because wool and cotton shrink at different rates, I recommend machine washing cold and hanging or laying flat to dry.
Here it is on our bed!
I also got this beautiful blue stonewashed quilt at Tuesday Morning--it came in several muted colors and I had a super hard time deciding! But I really love the blue. It was $49.99, compare at $80. And I found this cute bolster pillow there. I think in the long run I'd like more decorative pillows, but compared to what we started with, just this one is a big improvement!
The new bedding and pillow, plus this cool plaid tassel throw, have me feeling so much better about our simple apartment bedroom while we're here. And some fresh flowers for spring never hurt.
Thanks to Tuesday Morning for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to try a simple DIY for our bedroom update. I loved their bedding selection and really enjoyed picking out these pieces. (Click here to find your closest Tuesday Morning store and see the weekly ad here!
Pin this image to save this tutorial for later!
No comments
Post a Comment