Back to relaxing kanzashi - Black and Red Kiku.

Have I ever mention that I like making kiku kanzashi?

If not, then I will say it now.  I love making kiku kanzashi!  Yep they are just fun to make.

Yes they do take forever to make due to the sheer number of petals that each one has but I think the results just speak for themselves.

So what was the design in my head?  Well a black and red maiko style kanzashi.

Similar to one of these but in black and red.

So the first thing to do is get some fabric.

For some reason I wanted to revisit habutai silk because it is easier to make kiku kanzashi with rice glue as you can fold all the petals at once and then slowly assemble them.

However getting black and red habutai is not cheap so off I went to buy some silk and a home dyeing kit.

Then there is the starching and cutting all the 1 inch squares of fabric.

Before finally making the rice glue and prepping the bases.

Here is the first 3 kiku petals folded.

And then the next 5 lots.

In total these 8 kiku used 512 petals!  That is a lot of petals even by my standards but look at them.  I love them already.

Now to create some interesting falls and additional bit and voila we have a funky maiko set!

Closeup of the falls.

The finished kiku.

and here you can see the extra bits for the bridge.

In total this kanzash used wait for it 601 petals!  This has by far been the most petal intensive kanzashi I made but I live it.  I am very pleased with the falls as they turned out just how I wanted them.  I was scared they would not fall properly but it worked.

Now I will enjoy them for a little while before deciding what do to with it.

Felt Kanzashi Adventure continued......

So I have been a little quiet in the kanzashi scene because of the regency event but now I have some free time I thought I would get back on the kanzashi making.

Kusudama is one of my favourite kanzashi to make.  They are just adorable to look at.

These ones are a little different to the ones I use to make in that they are brooches as well.

And since it is Autumn / Fall, I thought it would be nice to make them in the colours of the seasons.

The grey one is particular apt for me since I am going to be seeing grey skies for a long time.

But then again, seeing the golden leaves in the Botanical Garden is quite nice.

And purple because I love purple.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/250389357/felt-kanzashi-brooch-hairclip-for

Adventures in felt kanzashi - part 8

I have a soft spot for kusudama kanzashi because they appeal to my inner mathematician.

The rotational symmetry is just nice.  

So when I brought a bag of mixed felt I knew I had to make one.

However, time is never on my side and it is only now that I managed to actually make my idea become a reality.

They are so cute and soft just like the rest of my felt kanzashi.  

Adventures in felt kanzashi - part 7

My felt kanzashi adventures has been a lot of fun but I have to say this one has to be my favourite so far.

The iris kanzashi!

I posted it a while back but here are some nicer pictures.

Love how the felt leaves curl.

And those little yellow highlights are just perfect.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/239309963/tsumami-kanzashi-iris-flower

Now that I have finally got some nice pictures this flower is finally for sale!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/239309963/tsumami-kanzashi-iris-flower

Adventures in felt kanzashi - part 5

There is finally some sunshine in Belfast and since it is June I thought I should make a kanzashi that is June related.

Hydrangea flowers!

Now you can not just make one flower but a cluster of them because when have you ever seen a hydrangea flower on its own?

The minimum number I could possible make is three and I had to include some leaves as well.

The hydrangea flowers are actually made from two colours of felt as this is traditional however the flowers need a little bit more so I added a pearl centre to each of the three flowers.

Isn't it cute!

Adventures in Felt Kanzashi - Part 4

So many flowers, so little time!

This is one that has been on my list for a while for traditional tsumami kanzashi because it is a flower that I see every spring!

Well I never got round to making it in silk for some reason but I had a chance today to try it with felt!

Finally I have a daffodil!

Adventures in felt kanzashi - Part 3

So far my adventures in felt have led me to make the following.

Now to make a flower that I always lived the look.  Iris!

I love the colour purple and something about the rotational symmetry is very pleasing to my mathematical mind.

Luckily I ordered a selection of coloured felt as making irises requires three colours, purple, yellow and green.

As normal, I cut the require amount and set about creating the iris.

Unlike the other flowers once the three large base petals are attached, the remaining petals all require a gentle touch.  This is due to the fact that each set of three is essentially balancing on each other.  However I have been making tsumami kanzashi since 2007 and this has taught me that with a steady hand and patience nothing is impossible and within no time this little blossom came into existence.

Is it not sweet!

Adventures in felt kanzashi - part 2

Now that I made a white rose and plum blossom I thought the next step would be to make something in a different colour.

So off to my local fabric store and I brought myself some baby pink felt.

Mmmmmm soft and fuzzy!

I had a busy week at work so I had to make these during the weekend but look at them.

The rose just perfect and my plum blossom got turned into a sakura or cherry blossom.

Well could not resist.  Pink fabric and flowers in my world implies sakura blossoms.

Adventures in felt kanzashi - part 1

For a while I had a thought of making kanzashi using different materials.

Obviously silk and cotton are the perfect choice but there must be other fabric that one can try.  Then it dawned on me, how about felt?  It is easy to cut and fold but it will create a lovely soft finish.

Differently need to give this a try so out comes my white stash and after cutting the require amount to play with here it is!

I had to tweak the rose design a little to accommodate the felt thickness but it has indeed create a kanzashi the has a soft look.

As I had to tweak the design, there was spare felt for me to try another flower.

A simple ume or plum blossom.

I think I will enjoy working with felt!

Rose Tsumami Kanzashi.

I have been experimenting with making rose kanzashi for ages and I think finally managed to find a design that works in my eyes.

Previous ones have been very pretty.  They are very pretty roses but somehow my eyes thinks something is missing.

So after lots of thinking and experimenting.  Yes lots of experimenting, my sewing room is full of proto roses.  It is actually quite sad seeing all these flowers.  I will have to think of a way to give them a good burial.  I always hate throwing away my flower failures.  

Anyway with a bit more playing, I think I have make ones that I am even more happier.  These ones are 7.5 cm in diameters so they make a lovely hair accessory or bouquet (ohh I must make one).

At the moment I have only made them in habutai silk but I would like to try and make them in kimono silk to see what effect it will create.  I think those roses will be lush and I can't wait to make more.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/233640856/large-rose-tsumami-kanzashi-hairclips?ref=shop_home_active_1

Kitty Kanzashi is back!

I have been very bad and neglected my etsy store.

Mainly due to the fact that I started a new job 1.5 years ago and have not been able to find a routine.

Anyway after a move from Sheffield to Belfast, getting full time job and then decided to move to my own flat!  I have finally managed to settle down enough to get things back in order.

So to slowly get back into the kanzashi business I have decided to start with something I have been thinking about for only the last month or so.

Glitter Kanzashi!

Seriously, glitter makes thing sparkle and everything is improved with glitter.  Well it was something I use to believe in as a child and then I went through a glitter hating moment.  Mainly because you can not put the stuff on your university work.  But now I need sparkle and lots of it.

The gold one was the first one I made because it is my default colour when I think of glitter but there are other colours.

As you can see I have only played with three at the moment,  I would love to play with more but I will need your help for that ;)

So here is where you can get these little bundles of joy.  There is only three at the moment.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/233598325/glitter-flower-kanzashi-hairclips?ref=shop_home_active_1

Out with 2013 and In with 2014!!!

So 2013 has been an eventful year for me.

I moved to a new city!

Where the first few days it rained and rained!  And once the rain stopped, it decided to snow however by summertime it was all lovely and hot.

Then I continued with my dressmaking and made the following dress and kimono.

However this has slowed down in the last few months as I have started a new job in September which meant my kanzashi making took priority over my dressmaking which is a shame!

However these are the stunning kanzashi that I have created.

SO what does 2014 have to hold for me???

Well hopefully in the next 3 months I will be sorting out all the financial and legal details for my new flat which will mean I will hopefully have my own little workroom where can store all my kimono, sewing and kanzashi making equipment.  I am very excited about this!

Restarting my "Making a Dress" series again with the first dress being made being  a 50's day-dress from an old kimono by 2 February 2014 so I can wear it for a vintage fair.  Still need to figure out what sort of dresses I want to make but the list is as follow : -

• Another regency dress.
• Wa-Lolita outfit.
• Aristocratic lolita skirt.
• Hand muff (okay not a dress but very practical and would be a lovely accessory).
• Bustle style skirt.

Of course I will be making another kimono as I went on a spending spree on kimono bolts.  As always some of those will be used to make the above dresses.

And I will be looking to finding a part-time job.  I have found that since I started working full-time I miss my sewing and kanzashi making far too much and it is getting to the point where it is actually making my depressed when I am not being creative.  I really hope I can find something soon so fingers cross!