How to make seashell tassels as boho beach decor

Seashell tassel video tutorial

Here is a video of how I made the seashell tassels. If it doesn’t load for you for some reason then you can check it out on my YouTube Channel as well.

(You can find the swim cover-up that I’m wearing in the video in my Amazon favorites)

Step 1: Sort clean seashells according to size

I started out by sorting my clean shells according to size. The reason for that is that when you thread them onto the jute yarn you pair two of the shells together. It looks much better if they are the same size the way they are in nature when alive.

Step 2: Drill holes into the seashells

I used my Dremel and a drill bit that came with my Dremel set to drill holes into the top of the seashells. Make sure you drill on an old cutting board or scrap piece of wood.
After I got the hang of it, I was able to quickly drill holes into an entire bowl full of seashells (around 130 seashells). Some seashells are very brittle and can’t handle a forceful Dremel which makes them crack apart. For those, you’ll have to use a micro hand drill which takes much longer.

(It doesn’t say on the drill bit what size it is. You can hold the drill bit next to the twine that you are using to make sure the size matches up.)

TIP: I found Atlantic surf clam shells on the beach that already have a hole in them at the top. They also work great for this project and then you don’t have to drill a hole.

If you are wondering why some seashells have these holes, at the Jersey shore they are from carnivorous moon snails who make these holes by releasing acid onto the shell to create holes so they can feed on the meat of the clam. (Find out more about the mystery of Jersey Shore shells) On other beaches, it could be from other carnivorous snails and whelks where some also have tiny drilling tongues to make the holes.

Step 3: Cut jute yarn

I cut 9 strands of jute yarn at 60 inches long.

Step 4: Knot and tape down strands of jute yarn

I folded the strands of jute yarn in half and estimated how big I wanted my hanging loop to be (about 10 inches). Then I knotted the yarn strands on one side of my loop estimation so I could braid the strands where I wanted the loop to be.

Use a piece of duct tape to tape the strands to a flat surface.

Step 5: Braid jute yarn

Separate the 9 strands into 3 times 3 strands and braid them into a 10 inch long strand of jute yarn.

Step 6: Form a loop for the tassel top

Open the knot and tie off both ends of the braided strand. Then form a loop and tie the loop together with a separate strand of jute yarn.

Step 7: Form tassel top

Wrap the bottom of the braided loop with more jute yarn. If you have trouble keeping the yarn in place, then you can use dabs of hot glue as needed to keep it in place. I wanted my tassel head to be rather thick. When you are done wrapping the jute yarn, knot the end with one of the tassel strands.

Here is the tassel before adding the seashells:

Step 8: Thread seashells onto jute yarn and add knots

You can make short tassels or long tassels. I wanted mine to be rather large. I added 14 shells to 7 strands on the outside of the tassel. And 3 strands in the center of the tassel with 10 shells.

When threading the shells onto the strands, you need to make sure that you match up the shell sizes again as mentioned at the beginning of this tutorial.

After you thread on a seashell, knot the strand as pictured. Then thread on the next seashell and add a knot again. Keep going that way until you added 14 shells or as many shells as you want.

TIP: Wrapping the tip of the jute yarn with a bit of duct tape helps tremendously when threading the seashells onto the yarn.

Since I wanted my tassel to be fuller at the bottom, I decided to add fewer seashells to three center strands. You can see the red arrow where I added about 10 seashells. That means, don’t thread them all the way to the top. (That’s optional though!)

Step 9: Trim jute yarn

When I reached a point where I was happy with the shape and size of the tassel, I decided not to fill up all the strands. I cut the center strands shorter and knotted the ends. And I also double-knotted the end of the seashell strands and trimmed them.

And that’s it! You’ve got a beautiful seashell tassel!

Make sure to save this project to your Pinterest board for future reference.

Photos of finished seashell tassel

I’m always looking for unique ideas for seashells displays and this tassel definitely fits that bill. I love it and am already planning to make more when I’m heading to the beach again in two weeks. Clamshells, mussel shells, snail shells, conch shells… I am coming for you. If and when I make more, I will add the photos to this blog post.

RELATED: Do you love coastal decor? Check out my super easy DIY starfish ornaments.

I recently made another smaller seashell tassel with white seashells. I will be making more because I love them and they are such a great way to display seashells. If you aren’t close to a beach and want to make one, these seashells are perfect for this project.

Where to buy seashell tassels

As always not everyone feels like DIYing their way through life the way I do. You might just like the look of a seashell tassel but prefer to buy them somewhere which is the reason that I rounded up some of my favorites for you. You’ll notice that non of them are made with the black bay scallops though. A lot of them use cowrie shells and white scallop shells.

Where to hang seashell tassels

I like hanging my tassels on door knobs, furniture knobs, hardware, curtain rods, or as curtain tie-backs. Just to name some examples.

More unique seashell tassel display ideas

I recently added an antique wooden dough bowl to our coffee table which I filled with a large piece of driftwood, Himalayan salt tealight candle holders, and a variety of seashells and snails. I love how this looks.

On the lower tier of the coffee table are decorative rattan boxes with glass lids that contain more of my collected seashells.

Related: You might also be interested in my glass coffee table decor ideas.

Tschüß,