Santa's Sash

Today I'm determined to finish a Santa. Since the white robed Santa is nearly completed, I'll focus on him. And what he needs right now is a sash. Because what's Santa without a sash?

 The silver cord I have is a bit thin to just tie around his middle, so I'm going to do something AWESOME!

I have this great book that shows step by step how to tie Chinese knots. They're really beautiful.

When done right.

I'm using my padded clip board to give me an anchor and straight pins to hold the cord in place.

So far so good.

This is the Pan Chang knot. One of the basics from the start of the book.

 Starting to look a bit more complicated.

 Wow. Spaghetti junction. But that's what the picture in the book looks like. So I guess I'm ready to tighten.

 Not horrible. Not quite right either, though.

Hmmm.....what else can I do?

Going back a page in the book, I come to the Button Knot. Very simple. And you can make a flat version and string them along to make a very pretty necklace. Or sash for Santa!

Bingo!

 Step one: easy peasy.

 Step two: still lookin' good.

 Step three: I could do this in my sleep.

 Step four: Ummm....

Well, it's like the picture in the book, so I'll tighten.

 What the !?!?!

That's NOTHING like the picture.

 Compare mine with the picture.

Ok, just need a bit more practice.

But first, I need to pick my son up from school.

 And look what followed us home!

A "sash" worthy of any Santa.

 Of course, I found out that when you trim it, it unravels into a riot! And since the middle is cotton, it just catches on fire if you try to seal the end.

No worries. My darling husband hand a brilliant idea.

First, tie a bit of string a little ways down.

 Cut off the end being held together with a bit of tape so that the rope goes WHA!!

Trim the cotton innards close to the string.

 With another bit of thread, start with one end laying along the cord away from the fringe. Make a loop in the direction of the fringe, then start wrapping the long piece of the thread around the cord tightly wrapping towards the fringe.

When you've got about a centimeter wrapped, put the end of the thread through the loop. Now pull gently on the first end. The loop will pull into the middle of the wrapped section, taking the thread with it. There should be a slight "click". That's your cue to stop pulling, and cut the ends of the thread off. It's now secure.

I attached a couple of silver bells to the ends of the rope to help hold the tassely bits together.

Another silver bell got sewn onto the end of his hood....but I don't think I actually got a picture of that yet.

 I found these great buttons a while back that I thought would be perfect for a Santa.

 That white spot on his cheek isn't apparent in person. I didn't actually notice it until I saw this picture. Hmmm....

Anyway, I glued his hood to his head to keep it in place.

And there he is. I think I'll call him Nick.

But....

Yeah, he's not done yet. I  don't feel good about selling him like this. He needs a bit more detail. So I think I'll leave him for a bit to inspire me a little more before I put him up for sale.

Besides, I still have the black and gold Santa to do!




Happy crafting!