DIY yarn tassel duvet blanket

We've been in need of a new comforter for an embarrassingly long time. Our lovely cat, Teddy Roosevelt (whom you see here), gets into what we call "night cat" mode and would bound off our old comforter, or run across it like a maniac, and rip open our old (cheap hand-me-down) quilt with his claws. So, we had that torn-up quilt for a long, long time because I really loved it, but it was time for something new (that my cat will also inevitably destroy).

But wow, I am picky and cheap, and that does not not bode well for replacing things in my house. I've been eyeing tasseled blankets that I can definitely not afford or that weren't exactly 100% what I wanted for months and was finally like, whatever, I can make tassels and make this happen.

And then like, 6 more months went by with a bunch of yarn laying around my house and the duvet I bought at IKEA taking up a drawer. So, don't worry, you're not the only person that gets awesome craft idea projects, buys all the things for them, and then stares at the materials for months. 

But winter means being inside a lot, and there was a lot of good TV, both of which are great ingredients for tassel-making. So, many months later, this tassel blanket finally happened and I'm so happy because I love it so much, even when it's covered in black cat hair. It's just the right amount of colorful and boho for my house that I like it, but doesn't make my husband feel like he's living in a feminine fantasy world.

I promise it's easy to make, and your home will be ever-so much more eclectic and fun with some yarn tassels to spice it up.

YOU'LL NEED:

• 1 plain duvet cover (I picked up this one for $20 at IKEA)
• About 3-4 skeins of superwash wool yarn, color of choice — this is how much I needed for my queen-sized bed, but I had 5 colors, so 5 skeins here. The superwash is important so the yarn will not felt when it is washed.
• A piece of cardboard the same length that you want your tassels
• Scissors
• Thread that matches your duvet cover
• Needles
• About 100 buttons - optional

DO THIS:

1. Make your tassles! Get your yarn, scissors and cardboard out. Follow this tutorial for making your tassels — it's super helpful! You can wrap your yarn around the cardboard as many times as you would like, depending on how thick you'd like it based on the size of your yarn. I did 30 times. Check out the picture diagram above, too, for help.
2. Make enough tassels to space out along 3 sides of your duvet. I have a queen-sized duvet and needed about 110 tassels. Turn on some Hulu and get to tasseling! It's an easy, mindless task.
3. Lay out your duvet without the comforter inside. Space out your tassels how you would like them — I placed my tassels about 1-2 inches apart.
4. Thread your needle and either sew the buttons on or sew your tassels straight on! You can sew the buttons if you're worried about how the comforter will do in the wash, but if you're using superwash wool, you shouldn't have any issues as long as you wash on cold and hang dry. If you're sewing buttons, sew the buttons on one-inch apart on the underside of the duvet, and then using the tie at the top of the tassel, tie the tassel around the button (and remove when washing).
5. If you're not doing buttons, sew the tassel straight onto the duvet at the seam on the end of the duvet. Tie the leftover yarn threads at the top of the tassel into a bow like you would take your shoes (or cut them off if you don't like the way they look). Space them about 1-2 inches apart and continue around 3 sides of the duvet, leaving the top by your head tassel-less.
6. After all that sewing and tassel-making, you're done! Fill your duvet with your comforter, grab a good show on Netflix and curl up in your new duvet.

Photos and text © Katie Currid, 2015. All rights reserved.