Bookmark With Tassel: How to Add One
A tassel is the part of a bookmark you can find with the book still closed. To make a bookmark with a tassel, punch a hole near the top and make a small tassel from embroidery floss. One knot joins the two. Most of the work is wrapping floss, and one skein covers two bookmarks.
Why Do Some Bookmarks Have Tassels?
A tassel works as a handle. It hangs outside the book, so you see where you stopped from across the room, and you pull the bookmark out without fishing between the pages. Some readers also like the weight, which keeps a thin card from sliding down into the gutter.
Page markers with a hanging thread are older than the loose bookmark. Writing for Fine Books & Collections, Allison C. Meier notes that the bookmark's history is "long entwined with bookbinding when it was usually a ribbon or bit of thread attached to the spine or endband." A tassel on a card keeps that thread, minus the binding.
What You Need for a Bookmark With a Tassel
You probably own most of the kit. If you still need the bookmark itself, our guide on how to make a bookmark starts from blank card.
| Item | What to look for | Swap if you lack it |
|---|---|---|
| Bookmark | Card of about 176 gsm (65 lb cover) or heavier, cut to size | Any stiff card, such as a cereal box panel |
| Hole punch | A single-hole punch, 1/8 or 1/4 inch | An awl or a thick needle, pushed through on a cutting mat |
| Embroidery floss | One skein of six-strand cotton | Crochet cotton, thin yarn or leftover thread |
| Wrapping card | A scrap about 3 inches tall | A paperback, wrapped across its width |
| Scissors | Small and sharp, for trimming ends | A craft knife against a ruler |
| Eyelet (optional) | A small metal eyelet and setter | A paper hole reinforcement ring |
Step 1: Mark and Punch the Hole
Center the hole on the top edge. Place it about 3/8 inch down from the top of the short side. Too close to the edge and the card tears once the tassel starts swinging. Mark the spot in pencil on the back so the front stays clean.
A 1/8 inch hole suits a thin cord or a single loop of floss. A 1/4 inch hole is easier to thread and takes a ribbon. Punch one bookmark at a time on card, since a stack shifts under the punch.
Printed bookmarks take a tassel as well as hand-cut ones. The three sets in our Bookmark Bundle trim to 2 by 7 inches, so the hole center sits 1 inch in from either side.
Step 2: Reinforce the Hole If the Bookmark Will Travel
Plain card wears at the hole. After weeks of tugging, a round hole turns oval. An eyelet stops that by clamping a metal ring around the edge of the hole. Paper reinforcement rings work too, and look tidy on the back.
Laminated bookmarks need the most care, because a hole punched through film and card leaves bare card at its edge. Either fit an eyelet there, or punch a larger hole in the card before laminating and a smaller one through the film afterward. Our guide on how to laminate bookmarks gives the hole sizes for that second method.
Step 3: Make a Tassel From Embroidery Floss
A floss tassel is a bundle of loops tied at the top and cut at the bottom. You need no tools beyond scissors and a scrap of card. The steps below make one about 3 inches long.
- Cut two lengths of floss of about 13 inches each and set them aside.
- Wrap floss from the skein around the 3 inch card about 20 times, side by side, then cut it at the bottom edge.
- Slide one 13 inch length under the wraps at the top edge and tie it tight with a double knot. Leave the ends long.
- Slide the bundle off the card. Wrap the second length around the bundle a few times, about 1/2 inch below the top, and knot it.
- Cut through the loops at the bottom and trim the ends level.
One skein goes further than it looks. DMC sells its six-strand floss in "8.7 yard/8 meter skeins." Each wrap around a 3 inch card uses about 6 inches, so 20 wraps take about 3.3 yards. With the two ties added, one skein gives you two bookmark tassels with a little to spare.
A fuller tassel takes a whole skein. DMC's own tassel tutorial folds an entire skein in half and ties it with two 13 inch lengths. The result is heavy, so keep it for a thick book.
Pro Tip: Tie the top thread before the bundle leaves the card. Once the loops slip off untied, they tangle and you start over.
Step 4: Attach the Tassel With a Lark's Head Knot
A lark's head knot needs no glue. It holds the tassel firmly and comes undone if you want to swap colors. Knot the two long tie ends together about 2 inches above the tassel head to make a closed loop. Push the loop through the hole from front to back, then pass the whole tassel through the loop and pull it snug.
A loop of about 2 inches between the card and the tassel head works for most books. A shorter loop leaves the tassel lying on the page edge, and a longer one tangles.
Step 5: Trim and Test in a Book
Close the book on the bookmark. Then stand it up and look. The tassel head should sit just above the top edge of the pages. The strands should hang down the outside of the cover no further than about halfway. Trim the strands if they hang lower, and shorten the loop if the knot rests on the page.
Key Takeaway: A bookmark tassel works best at about 3 inches long on a loop of about 2 inches, hanging from a hole 3/8 inch below the top edge.
Overview of the Five Steps
| Step | What you do | Main tool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punch a hole centered on the top edge, about 3/8 inch down | Single-hole punch |
| 2 | Optional, reinforce the hole with an eyelet or a paper ring | Eyelet setter or reinforcement ring |
| 3 | Wrap floss 20 times on a 3 inch card, tie, wrap the neck, cut | Floss and scissors |
| 4 | Thread the loop through the hole and pass the tassel through it | Your fingers |
| 5 | Close the book and trim the length | Scissors |
What to Use Instead of a Tassel
Anything that hangs outside the book does the same job. Pick by how the bookmark gets carried and how much bulk the book can take, with thin cord for thin books.
| Option | How it attaches | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satin or grosgrain ribbon | Lark's head knot or a simple knot | A flat, quiet finish | Cut ends fray unless angled or sealed |
| Leather or waxed cord | Knot through a 1/8 inch hole | Bookmarks that travel in a bag | Stiff cord can kink |
| Yarn pompom | Tied on a short loop | Children's books and gifts | Bulk in thin paperbacks |
| Charm on a jump ring | Ring through the hole | A small gift with a theme | Metal can dent soft pages |
| Elastic band | Around the cover, no hole needed | Notebooks and planners | Wears out in time |
| Nothing | None | Library books and book bags | Easy to lose inside the book |
When Does a Tassel Get in the Way?
A tassel is a poor match for books that travel or are not yours. In a tote or backpack it snags on zips and keys, and the floss fuzzes within weeks. On a library book it is easy to forget in the return slot, so a plain card you will not miss is the safer pick.
E-readers need none of this. The device keeps your place, and a tassel only gets caught in the case.
Buying a ready-made tassel is also a different job from printing. Our printable sets come as flat bookmarks you print, cut and finish yourself, with no hole or tassel attached. If you want a tasseled bookmark ready to use today, a finished one from a stationery shop is the better choice.
FAQ
How do you make a bookmark with a tassel?
Punch a hole centered on the top edge, about 3/8 inch down. Make a tassel by wrapping embroidery floss around a 3 inch card, tying the top and cutting the bottom loops. Then attach it through the hole with a lark's head knot.
Why do some bookmarks have tassels?
A tassel hangs outside the closed book, so you can find your place at a glance and pull the bookmark out easily. It also echoes the ribbons and threads once bound into books as page markers.
What can I use instead of a tassel on a bookmark?
Many things work. Ribbon, leather cord, a yarn pompom, a charm on a jump ring or an elastic band around the cover all work. For library books and book bags, a plain bookmark with nothing attached is often best.
What do I get with a printable bookmark set, and can I print more?
A receipt email brings the download link right after payment, and the zip holds a US Letter PDF, an A4 PDF and a README. Print at actual size (100%) on matte card of about 176 gsm (65 lb cover) in a home inkjet or laser printer, after checking the test sheet on pages 3 and 4. You may print as often as you like for you and your household, and give printed bookmarks or sheets as gifts. Please do not share or resell the file.
Conclusion
Tassels make bookmarks easy to find. Punch a hole 3/8 inch below the top, reinforce it if the bookmark will travel, tie a 3 inch floss tassel and attach it with a lark's head knot. Skip the tassel for library books, book bags and e-readers.
Sources
- Fine Books & Collections, A History of Collecting Bookmarks, Allison C. Meier (2023) (last checked 2026-10-02)
- DMC, Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (n.d.) (last checked 2026-10-02)
- DMC, How to Make Tassels Using Stranded Embroidery Floss (n.d.) (last checked 2026-10-02)
