FAQ

Using My Own Fringe and Tassel maker, FAQ, How to ...

What can I make using my own fringemaker?

With our new unique and newly patented fringe and tassel maker you can:

• Create fabulous custom fringe and tassels from 1" to 11" drop depending on how you sew and cut your materials. Your custom fringe and tassels can be looped or cut to hang loose - just like commercial products!
• You can make up to 24" in width at one time with fringe and tassels from 1" to 11" in drop.
• OR by sewing and cutting differently, you can make 3" drop fringe in 48" width in lightning speed!
  Hint: Use 48" length for trimming a 12" square pillow, the side of a throw or any other project you need some 

• You can make doll hair.

• You can make a whole row of tassels use the length of our rod unit. Fill the length of our rod unit and continue making tassels until the rods are full. Remove those tassels, start again and make more. Continune creating outstanding tassels until you have all you need or want !

• You can make (hair) bows too! Tie on the ribbons, make a bow and proceed down the rods making more, fill the rods to your advantage. The bow will not twist when you knot them. Make bows of different sizes by adjusting the rods and stack them for a layered look.  You'll sell more  bows when they look uniform, bold and beautiful!  Make hair ribbons for cheerleading in team colors as a fund raiser. In fact  booster clubs can make bows or tassels to sell at the games, and rack up profits!
• If you can easily wind your materials onto our rods, you should be able to make custom fabulous fringe, tassels, bows and doll hair.

We are still learning all the many things you can create using our unique tool. If you think of some other ideas, please share them with us.

Is making fringe hard?

No, it's never been easier using our new fringemaker! Whether you want to save money or make money, creating custom fringe and tassels will add value to your projects. Your customers will be astonished at your talent and return to you over and over again!  If you don't care to earn or save extra money that's okay, maybe you want to discover your creative skills, our amazingly simple to use tool is for you too !!

Using My Own Fringemaker, creating custom fringe within minutes is simple!  In three steps you'll create fabulous fringe; 

1. winding on,
2. sewing and remove from rods.
3. attach to your projects. 

Behind the HOW TO Tab are easy- to-follow videos.  Perhaps you'd like to start watching the SHORT Video for a quick  A - Z over view and then watch the other videos.  SHORT  includes exciting samples and one simple method, making a tassel.  You may watch our informational videos as often as you like.

The first several step by step videos listed guide you at a slower pace. Once you start on a project you may want to review a particular segment as a refresher.

Please refer to instructions that came with your fringe maker too. The instructional brochure wraps the unit. The instructions are printed on the back side. The brochure folds into a four page manual with easy to follow step by step directions. There are many pictures, inspiration and samples throughout our Gallery.  

Note: some yarns or other materials you may choose to make fringe and tassels from with could be difficult to sew.
We offer one-stop shopping yarns, ribbons and STRAND to make fringe and tassels plus our fringe maker.  Ready to order now?

How tightly should I wind material on My Own Fringemaker?

Not too tightly and not too loosely.  For best results, crank the handle of My Own Fringemaker with one hand while using your other hand to gently "guide", ( DO NOT HOLD ONTO ) the fringe material as it wraps around the rods.
Do not hold onto your yarns and ribbons and try to turn the rods, pull or stretch the yarns as you are winding. 

From time to time people hold the yarns and ribbons between their thumb and forefinger  - NOT NECESSARY to hold so tight - let your ribbons and yarns freely flow as you wind onto the rods...guide the strands down the rods with a finger, that's probably all that is necessary.

Holding and pulling your yarns and ribbons as you wind adds a lot of tension to the rods and will bend the rods, don't do this.

The end result of fringe you are looking for is an evenly wrapped product. Do not wrap your yarn and ribbon so tightly you watch the rods bend and don't wind so loosely that your ribbon or yarns float up and down the rods.  Slight slack might be just perfect!
Experiment until you 'get the feel of it', then make your fantastic fringe and tassels.

Can I use any sewing machine to sew the header of the fringe?

Yes! In our experience, any home sewing machine with a bobbin and threaded needle that can sew a straight stitch should work.
DO NOT USE A SERGER!

Can I sew the header with a serger?

NO!

Which sewing foot should I use to sew the fringe header?

If you use a standard home sewing machine, use a closed toe foot, such as a zipper foot.  A zipper foot is very narrow and has an indent that accommodates closer needle positioning to the rod,  allowing you to make the narrowest header possible.  The narrower the fringe header, the longer the fringe drop.

What if the yarns tangle in the sewing machine feed dogs?

There are thousands of yarns, strings, STRAND and threads to make fringe, tassels and doll hair. Since you'll be experimenting with so many products each with different proprieties, you might want to add something between the rod unit wound with yarns and your feed dogs to prevent snagging while sewing the header.

Here are some suggestions to help reduce snagging during sewing:

• add a thin strip of iron on stabilizer top or bottom of rod where sewing. Other people place a thin strip of cut away stabilizer and hold  in place and making sure it is being caught with the needle and the feed dogs.             
• use a water soluble stabilizer under the rod unit as they are sewing.
• some people have used a tissue paper just to keep the thin yarns from catching, then gently pull it away from header stitching.
• I like soft (bridal) tulle, most times it blends into the fringe and there is minimal trimming of the tulle needed.
• try using Stitch in the Ditch paper, a thin tissue paper on a narrow roll. It pulls away from header stitching easily, however be gentle pulling against your header stitching.

Sometimes people like placing the stabilizer on the top as well as underneath while the header is being sewn.

You might try dropping or sealing off your feed dogs if the yarns are getting tangled in the feed dogs while sewing.

Try reducing the downward pressure of the presser foot?  

I experiment with different sewing machines, needles, presser foot up or down, feed dogs up and down, stabilizer on top and bottom of header area to get the look I want. Please do your own experimenting to find what works for you and your projects.

NOTE: If you are not planning on inserting the sewn header into the seam, then remember you'll probably have to remove whatever stabilizer, paper, tulle you sew on. Picking out whatever you used to sew the header might be a headache to pull away or cut away, so make a sample first.

HINT: Remove your stabilizer, tulle, stitch-in-the ditch paper etc, after the first row of header stitching; the snagging should be eliminated after the first row of stitching. Then continue to sew several more rows of header.

HINT: I like to reduce my stitch length with each sewing pass. This helps the thread and needle to catch all the rows of yarns and ribbons.

If you use water soluble stabilizer, use the minimum amount of water for removing it wet the tip of a Q-tip. Remember you'll have to plan time for the header to dry before inserting it into your project.  Sometimes I'm up against a deadline and don't have time to wait for the header to dry, so I experiment with other ways to sew the header using materials mentioned above in the bulleted list.

Sometimes I use a business card placing it parallel to the rod and just ahead of the foot to hold down the strands from getting caught in the foot.

Other times I place a narrow ruler placed off to the side of the presser foot to hold down the yarns while sewing especially if they are bulky, fluffy or stringy yarns and would have a tendency to get caught in the foot or feed dogs.

THE GOOD NEWS is that after the first row of stitching - it's so much easier to sew and you'll zip down the rods each sewing pass. After the first row of stitching I sometimes remove whatever I placed there for holding aid. It is much easier to remove with only one line of stitching than with four, five or six plus.

Can I make fringe without sewing?

We are developing a way to do this, please check back often.

Can I make Tassels?

Yes, making tassels is fun and they are so decorative! Take a look in the Gallery click on Tassels to view our samples. Experiment with making tassels in your style. Once you get going, you'll have so much fun thinking outside the box when making your tassels. Email us your photos, we'll post them in the Gallery for other people to be inspired too.

Do you have an instructional video,  How to make a Tassel?

It is in the works and hope to have it made by the end of August 2011.
Meanwhile, this video  has one simple tassel making method outlined. Video title is, Intro How to Make Fringe and Tassels, shows Samples too. Try it out and have fun!  There are dozens of ways to make tassels, there are no tassel police so experiment. There are also books at the library, for purchase on the web or try an internet search, how to make a tassel. Tassel making is called passementerie.  Introducing our tassel samples.

HINT: You can make multiple tassels along the length of the rod unit. This method does the trick saving you time and money. All tassels will be identical, customers who need multiple pairs will pay more for good looking hand crafted uniform tassels.

Author Susan Dickens, who wrote Tassels, shares her most successful materials for making tassels are:
perle thread, crochet thread, Benz and Pearl Crown Rayon (100m/110 yards cones), rayon high twist yarn, weaving thread, knitting yarn,
chenille knitting yarn, linen thread, Maderia tanne cotton, gimp cord (thin covered cord rather than a thread), jute, embroidery wool, cotton and silk.

Personally, I've found several of the products mentioned above difficult to find.
FYI, we sell STRAND to make custom fringe and tassels.
STRAND is the material commercial fringe and tassels are often made from.