Hunger Games Arrow Bookmark (DIY)

Usually, when reading a good book,  I use whatever is nearby as a bookmark: business cards, tags from new clothes, candy wrappers, etc.  Sadly, I lose little tags and cards in the pages, or they just fall out and end up on the floor.  Here's a bookmark for you to make, designed to look like Katniss' weapon of choice, and to keep your place in the story!

You will need:

embroidery thread in two colors

wire

clippers and pliers

hot glue gun

Cut a twelve inch segment of wire.  If your's happens to be as tangled as mine, take a moment to straighten out your segment.





About 1/2 inch from the end, lightly touch the wire with a hot glue gun, for just a tiny but of glue.  Begin wrapping the thread around your wire.









If you gently pinch the thread to the wire with one hand, you can use the other hand to twist the wire rather than circling your entire hand around.  This method is much faster. When you get 1/2 inch from the end, add another dot of hot glue to hold the thread in place.

Now you are ready to bend the wire into an arrow shape!  At the center of your wire (six inches) bend to a 90 degree angle.  This is the point of your arrow.


Bend each side two more times to create the arrow shape.  Each slanted side is one inch long, and the shorter sides under the arrow point are each 1/2 inch.





Add your second color of embroidery thread with a dab of glue right where the  corners of wire meet up again.






Wind until you have about one inch of exposed wire at the end.




Wrap both ends around an ink pen to create a loop for your tassel.

To make the tassel, fold a piece of paper until it is about three inches tall.






Take one strand of each color and wrap it around the paper six times.







With one hand, hold the thread on both sides; with the other, slide a pair of scissors under the thread and cut.





Pinch together the ends and glide them into the ring on your arrow.

Lie the arrow and tassle on a flat surface.





Slide a string underneath and tie tightly around your tassel, close to the ring.



After double (or triple) knotting, cut the excess string away.

To give the tip of your arrow a more pointy, interesting shape, use the pliers and bend the wire slightly inward.