Better tinsel bodies

Wrapping a tinsel body

Martin Joergensen

How to tie a nice, even, ribbed tinsel body. Here's one way.

The description assumes that you want a silver body. If you want gold, just replace 'silver' with 'gold' below.

Even better

For a smoother and more cylindrical body, you might want to strip off the 'metal' layer of the oval tinsel and only have the fabric kernel left under the thread base and the flat tinsel. Also you might want to untie the tied in flat tinsel and cut off the folded part before you tie down and finish it.

10 easy steps

1. Start by tying in the oval tinsel under the hook in the full intended length of the body.
2. Start in the rear of the body, but leave a tag long enough to stretch all the way to the front.
3. Cover the oval tinsel and the hook shank with an even and smooth layer of thread in touching or very close turns.
4. End up with the thread where you want the front end of the body.
5. Cut the end of the flat tinsel to an elongated triangular shape on one side.
6. Tie in the point of this triangle on the flat tinsel with the silver side in if you want a silver body.
7. 'Fold' the tinsel in an 45 deg. angle over the hook shank and start wrapping.
8. Wrap the tinsel in tight and evenly touching turns to the back end of the body. You don't want any overlaps.
9. Pull tight and reverse direction, now covering the previous layer of tinsel with just as even and tight wraps going in the opposite direction all the way to the front. Again: no gaps and no overlaps.Pull the flat tinsel tight, tie down and trim.
10. Now wrap the oval tinsel in opposite direction in open turns. On most bodies 4-6 turns is the ideal number. Tie down under the hook in front end of the tinsel body.

This can be done in other ways too. Some tyers strip off the silver layer of the oval tinsel, baring the inner, soft core. This can be tied in very flat, and will leave almost no bump under the flat tinsel.

For a really delicate and smooth front of the body, you can unravel the few turns holding down the flat tinsel where it's tied in and folded, keeping it in place with the returning flat tinsel. let the inner layer of the flat tinsel unravel a bit and trim off the folded tag. Now use the returning flat tinsel to catch the remaining tag, wrap tightly and catch with the thread before starting the rib. This will make the front end of the body very neat and compact.