Seashore Lovely

A bright, precise sailor knot is the perfect topping for any present, especially this time of year. Here’s how to do it:

You’ll need:

• Box (hopefully with a gift inside)
• Wrapping paper (if your box isn’t pretty)
• Rope (cotton rope for Father’s Day, neon mason line for jewelry boxes and BFF gifts, satin cords for wedding presents and Mother’s Day gifts, chunky yarn for babies) Hardware and trimming stores are ideal places to look for stuff to tie in sailor knots!
• Hot glue/ fire
• Tape (optional)

The Steps:

1. Wrap your gift box in paper if needed.

2. Tie a sailor knot in the middle of your rope. You’ll need to leave tails (you should have either two or four) long enough to wrap around the bottom of your box. Measure twice, cut once, etc. There are tons of awesome tutorials out there, so I won’t be redundant. I used the knot in this great headband tutorial by Presser Foot. But you could also use the sailor knot keychain tutorial by Michael Ann Made, or even this Turk’s Head knot bracelet tutorial on Etsy (substitute the narrower end of your box for the tin can).  Buy extra rope. That’s basically what I’m saying.

3. Trim each tail of your sailor knot so that all ropes are an even length. Secure the ropes of each tail together with hot glue. If you’ve used a synthetic (nylon, polyester) rope, you can melt the ends together with a candle or  lighter. Be careful not to char them like I did!

4. Position your knot  in the perfect spot on the top of the box.

5. Flip your box over, and secure the knot tails with another dab of glue or some tape. Trim wayward ends.

6. Ta Da! Your perfectly pretty present is ready for giving.  Opening presents really is most of the fun!