Lighting is a fun way to decorate your home. A wrapped pendant light presents a two-in-one design possibility because it adds colour during the day, and light in the evening. We’ve designed a simple and affordable pendant light and crafted an easy-to-follow tutorial that is totally beginner friendly. No experience with macrame, weaving, or hand dyeing required.
From this tutorial you’ll learn:
-how to wrap a pendant light with the help of hand painted cotton
-how to create smooth, brushed tassels
-how to attach your tassels to your lightshade with two different methods
-how to create a “rya knot” tassel
-how to create a “wrap knot”
What you’ll need:
1.The “Crop Circle” Pendant Light Frame This is our introductory level, handcrafted steel pendant light frame. It’s welded together for durability, comes in two different diameters (one of which is a perfect fit for the Ikea Strala light fixture), and comes powder coated in a colour of your choice. We’ve used our Dusty Lavender and Mint powder coated frames for this tutorial.
2. Wrapping cord or string. We’ve used our 4mm Shibori Hand Dyed Cotton String (in the colour Thistle and Mint). The colour variegation that occurs with hand painted string is truly special, and cotton is a great vegan/plant-based alternative to conventional yarns. A single skein was enough to wrap the full frame.
3. Tassel string. We’ve used our 5mm Lush Cotton String (in the colour Thistle and Natural). This is our softest cotton string. Its elevated ply count makes for smooth, shiny, lustrous tassels. Tassels are a great opportunity to play around with different texture and there’s no right cotton to choose for this application. A single 100 foot ball provided enough material for this pendant light.
4. A bamboo, soft bristled fringe brush and/or metal-toothed comb. We’ve used our “fringewacker” brush and comb set because it has a really good name (and works well too).
5. A sharp pair of scissors
6. A tape measure
7. A tapestry needle (Unfettered’s signature tapestry needle shown in this tutorial is coming soon!)
8. 1mm cord for attaching your tassels. We can recommend our flat waxed cord or our 1mm 2ply Recycled Cotton Cord.
Let’s Begin
STEP 1: WRAP THE LAMPSHADE FRAME
We’ll begin by wrapping one continuous length of handpainted 4mm cotton string around the lampshade frame. Attach your cotton to your frame by tying a basic double knot. Tighten your knot as firmly as you can.
Begin to wrap your cotton around the outside of both of your frame’s hoops. With the help of a finger, you can retain a tight tension against the frame. This tension will become easier to retain with more wraps. The goal is to create a tight, solid surface of wrapped cotton.
Keep wrapping in this fashion until you’ve come full circle all the way around to your original knot. Now tie another double knot to secure your wraps. Then, trim your ends.
It’s Tassel Time
At this stage, you can choose your own adventure. We’ve explored two different methods of tassel creation, and both have their advantages. Use the sewn tassel method (demonstrated with our purple pendant light) if you wish to create your tassels separately from your pendant light. Use the rya knot tassel method if you prefer to keep everything in one place. We found that the Rya Knot method (demonstrated with our mint pendant light) was less time-consuming and used less cotton material too. So, for us, it was the clear winner. But we’ll still cover both methods for you here.
The Sewn Tassel Method
STEP #2: CREATE YOUR TASSELS
Tassels are the most onerous part of this project and it’s good to know this going in. We created 60 tassels to adorn our lampshade frame. The number of tassels you require will fully depend on the size of tassel you create and how tightly you position them side-by-side on the frame. We aimed for full, tight coverage.
With the help of your scissors and measuring tape, cut 5 X 8″ long strands and 1 X 12″ long strand of 5mm Lush Cotton String per tassel.
To make a tassel, fold your 5 x 8″ long strands of 5mm lush string in half. Hold the folded strands in your non-dominant hand. With your dominant hand and your 12″ strand of cotton, tie a wrap knot about 1″ from the top of your folded 8″ strands. If you’ve never tied a wrap knot before, follow the link above to our helpful Youtube Video Tutorial.
Brush out ends of your tassel so that they’re smooth and soft. You can perform some trimming at this stage to straighten your ends, but the majority of trimming will be done once all 60 tassels are attached to your lampshade frame.
Repeat this process until you’ve finished all of your tassels. This will take some time.
STEP #3 ATTACHING YOUR TASSELS
Measure and cut a continuous strand of 1mm tying cord that exceeds the circumference of your frame by about 6″. Thread one end of your cord through your tapestry needle. You’ll use this to sew each tassel onto the frame.
Pick a starting point on your frame. Attach the end of your tying cord that’s not threaded through your needle and connect it to any point along the bottom hoop of your frame with the help of a double knot. Leave a few inches to spare that you can trim off later once you’ve come full circle.
Pass your tapestry needle through the top part of your beginning tassel (the head of the tassel that you initially formed by folding your 5 cords just above the gathering knot). Pull the tying cord all the way through the head of the tassel so that the tassel now rests just below the bottom of your lampshade frame. Count 4 cords to the right or left of your first tassel, now pass your tapestry needle through so that it lands through the 5th cord. Attach your second tassel there. Your second attached tassel should now sit beside your first, hanging just below your frame.
Repeat this step until all 60 tassels are attached.
Once you’ve reached the first tassel again, attach the ends of your tying cord securely to the frame with the help of a double knot. Trim your ends and tuck them into the fiber wall of your light so that they’re invisible.
STEP #4 GIVE YOUR TASSELS A FINAL BRUSH AND TRIM
It’s helpful to hang your lampshade at this point so that you can easily access its entire circumference, and so that you can stand back from your pendant light to assess the desired length of your tassel trim.
With the help of your bamboo brush and comb, give the ends of your tassels some smoothing and brushing. Just like trimming hair, you’ll brush and trim the ends of your tassel until they look as even (or as layered and shaggy) as you wish!
The Rya Knot Tassel Method
Cut one 8″ long piece of 5mm lush string for each tassel. If you’d like fuller and/or longer tassels than those shown in this tutorial, you can double (or triple) the number of strings you’re using per tassel. You can also easily adjust the length of your cut tassel strings.
Thread your tapestry needle with a strand of 5mm lush string that you’ve just cut. Pick a starting point along the bottom of your frame pass the needle behind any given cord that you’ve wrapped around your pendant light frame. Pull it through half way.
Once you’ve pulled your tassel string through half way to the left, you’re going to pass your needle across to the right, counting 3 wrapped cords over.
Thread the tassel string behind the third cord to the right.
Then pull it through so that you’re left with what looks like a loop (or stitch) across three wrapped cords with a tail two strings wide. Make sure both ends of your tail are the same length.
Repeat this process until you’ve filled the entire circumference of the bottom of your pendant light frame. Then pull your rya knots tightly, trim then brush, trim then brush until your fringe is a desired length and fullness.
Spin your new light and enjoy!!!
Please note that an LED bulb provides the most safety for a fiber wrapped pendant light. Since LED bulbs are low heat, they considerably reduce fire hazard and are a necessary precaution to take. If you’re looking for a way to hang your light from a wall, we have designed a custom Pendant Light Wall Hook for this exact purpose. It looks fabulous powder coated to match your the colour of your Crop Circle Pendant Light Frame
