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

Latest Creation - Kimono kanzashi

So for the last few years I have been hoarding kimono fabric like there is no tomorrow.

I have kimono fabric in almost every room in my flat so I thought it was time I did a little spring clean and make some wonderful kanzashi from them.

Muted Green Kimono Kanzashi Hairclip

Grey and Fuchsia Kimono Hairclip

White Kimono Kanzashi Hairclip

Vibrant Orange Kimono Kanzashi Hairclip

Pink and White Kimono Kanzashi Hairclip

You can either click on the link on each picture or visit my etsy store if you are interested in them.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/kittykanzashi

Black Rose Tsumami Kanzashi by Kitty Kanzashi

Kanzashi rose with a difference!

---Kanzashi Description---

* Colour - Black (customizable)
* Size - 6cm (depth) x 17cm (height) x 18cm (wide)
* Mount - hairband
* Suitable for all hairtypes and hairstyles
* Suitable for vegans!

They may not exist naturally in nature but that is the wonder of the tsumami kanzashi technique. You can bring to life black roses without a second thought and here they are!  This design came about because of my black lolita dress that I have made which is sitting on my Miffy (the mannequin) as we speak.

I was wondering what sort of hair accessory would be perfect for this dress and after a lot of thought, my mind always went back to roses!  But not just ordinary red roses but black ones.

So this would be perfect for a kuro, gothic or old school lolita who wants to add a touch of floral into their outfit or maybe a bride who wants to be different.  In fact you could just wear it as a floral accessory for everyday wear if you like!

---Other information---

This kanzashi will be custom made for you and normally take 2 days to make. If my work schedule prevents me from fulfilling this promise then I will make a shop announcement at the top of my etsy shop.

All of my kanzashi designs can be customised to your requirements so if you would like this kanzashi in a different colour then please do not hestitate to contact me. I am always happy to help you with your request.

If you are interested then you can either order it by sending an email to kittykanzashi@gmail.com or visit my etsy store.

Kanzashi Fabric Flower - Set of 2 Hairclip - Green

 A pair of lovely green kanzashi hairclips that will bring you closer to nature.

---Kanzashi Description---

* One of a kind
* Colour - green
* Size - 5cm (wide) by 3cm (height) by 1cm (depth)
* Mount - 3cm alligator clip
* Suitable for all hairtypes and hairstyles

These dainty little hairclips are perfect for any age so long as you love flowers.

---Other information---

If you have questions about this kanzashi, please feel free to contact me, I am happy help you.

Like this kanzashi then why not visit the rest of my store http://www.etsy.com/shop/kittykanzashi 

 I accept custom orders for all sort of accessories (like fascinators, hairbands, brooches, etc), please convo me for requests

Dark Red and Brown Kanzashi Barrette,Flower Hair Clip

A kanzashi with a modern twist for all you people who love to be different.

--- Kanzashi Description ---

* One of a kind
* Colour - navy blue and white base with dark red flower and silver tassel
* Size - 7cm (wide) x 43.5cm (height) x 3cm (depth)
* Mount - barrette clip
* Suitable for all hairtypes and hairstyles

There is a lot of fun mixing textures and materials in kanzashi making and this is a result of one crafting session. Taking a piece of vintage yukata to make the base and then adorning it with a flower made from a vintage scarf and a silver tassel, what you get is a unique barrette hairclip.

If you have questions about this kanzashi, please feel free to contact me, I am happy help you Like this kanzashi then why not visit the rest of my store http://www.etsy.com/shop/kittykanzashi 

--- Other information ---

Hana Kanzashi translated are flower (hana) hair accessories (kanzashi). All of mine are made using the Tsumami technique which involves pinching squares of fabric into individual petals and then arranging them into wonderful flowers. The only limit to tsumami kanzashi is the imagination of the crafter.

I accept custom orders for all sort of accessories (like fascinators, hairbands, brooches, etc), please convo me for requests.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/129368213/dark-red-and-brown-kanzashi?

Crane Kanzashi

I see crane kanzashi very often and I have always wanted to make one so I decided to make a mini one first before I make a big one!

I have to say for a first attempt it isn't too bad!

The actual kanzashi itself is only 10cm tall but it took a whole morning to make.  It is a little bit cold here in Belfast and the glue was refusing to dry properly.  Lucky music was in the background so time didn't go too slowly.

It is very sweet but I am bias.

Now I am going to ask you the audience a question and please be honest.  How much would you pay for this?

Here are some things to consider, this one took 4 hours to make but I can probably refine the method to 2-3 hours.  It very delicate work and all the wire has been hand wound with thread.

What does a kanzashi maker do on a rainy day? - Part 2

So earlier I told you that the top two flowers were my attempts to create a white lilac flower.

What about the other two?

The next one I decided to have a try to recreate is the primrose.

I think you can guess why I wanted to create.  Don't the heart shape petals look cute?  Now I could create this flower using the same method as making cherry blossoms but I felt it deserved a new way. 

Therefore using the round petal as a base, I decided that adding additional pleats in the centre would give the petal a flatter look.  Then of course the only thing left to do is add the little pinch at the centre to create the heart shape.  Unfortunately some of the pinches didn't last very long as I used un-starch fabric but you get the idea.

As always comments and criticisms are welcome.

What does a kanzashi maker do on a rainy day? - Part 1

It is beginning of February and all I see out of my window is rain, rain and more rain.

Well that spoilt my idea of wandering out for a walk so instead I got my thinking cap on and created some more kanzashi flowers.

Inspired by my friends re-enactment I decided to concentrate on flowers that are popular in the regency period.  You wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to find a list but I managed it and I picked three flowers to start off.

The first flower I thought I would recreate is this one.

This is a white lilac and as you notice, it is a four petal flower with a little yellow centre.  

My first thought was to use a round petal and create a narrow petal but somehow this does not look right.  It has the slight curve at the edge but the centre just does not work.

So I had a thought and decided to use a petal design that I rarely used.  The folded pointed petal, it starts off life as a pointed petal but then you fold up the edges to create something similar to the round petal.

Anyway the results are this!

This is much better then the first design as it gives the impression of a concave petal and the best thing about this design is that it naturally creates a trumpet shape in the centre.

What do you think?

I Love Kanzashi - Ivy Love Kanzashi Hairclip

Time to show you some kanzashi which I call my everyday kanzashi.

Ivy Love by Kitty Kanzashi

My friend a couple of years ago gave me a whole load of quilting fabric which were gorgeous but in small squares.

Well I was not about to let those fabric go to waste so I made tiny pairs of kanzashi hairclips.

This fabric has a light green leaf print all over it and in the above photo you can clearly see it.

Rather then leave it as that I added some falls on each flower so that when you walk they will swing.

Each kanzashi is only 3cm in diameter and with the falls the height of them is 6cm.

So what do you think?  Would these pair of hairclips make a lovely present for yourself or how about a friend?

Well whoever you buy these for, you can find them here.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/72489772/green-tsumami-kanzashi-flower-ivy-love

I Love Kanzashi - Muted Green Kanashi Hairband and boutonniere

Here is another one that I made from my fabric stash that I have been building since 2008.

Muted Green Kanzashi Set by Kitty Kanzashi

This kanzashi set is made using the same principle as Candy Amore which I talked about a couple of days ago

Here is the link to the blog, http://kittykanzashi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/i-love-kanzashi-candy-amore.html

We often see kanzashi being made using very girlie colours but I understand that not everyone can wear such colours so when I saw this piece of fabric, I thought why not use it to make a tsumami kanzashi.

I used the traditional ume or plum blossom flower arrangement for this one and in addition, I used some gold mizuhiki corde to finish it off.

If you are wondering what mizuhiki cord is then it is Japanese paper cord!  It is often used to make adornments for their cards and they come in all sorts of colour.  It is quite stiff to use has a nasty habit of unravelling especially if you are doing some knot decoration with it.

If you like this kanzashi then you can see it in my etsy store here.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/73387113/muted-green-kanzashi-hairband-and

I love Kanzashi - Candy Amore

You can not love kanzashi without loving fabric.

Candy Amore by Kitty Kanzashi

I called this one Candy Amore because the pink reminds me of candy or sweets and amore because I love it.

The fabric I used is a small piece of vintage juban or kimono fabric but is is lovely and it is a shame I don't have any more of it.

For pieces like these I always use more then one fabric because it makes the vintage fabric stand out more.  Lucky I had a baby pink that matched the colour of the vintage fabric which brought out the best in the fabric.

If you are interested in this kanzashi then why not see in my etsy store!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/73085165/wedding-kanzashi-hairband-and-buttonhole

Alternatively, if you would like a custom made kanzashi then why not contact me via email kittykanzashi@gmail.com or on my form http://kittykanzashi.blogspot.co.uk/p/contact-me.html

Sakura Wedding Kanzashi!

I just have to share with you my latest custom order for a bride who is having a cherry blossom (or sakura) themed wedding!

She contacted me through etsy asking me to create for her a kanzashi that reminded her proposal amongst the sakura trees in Japan.  Isn't that a lovely image!  How could I refuse?

Isn't it adorable!

I never get bored with making falls for kanzashi as they are a lot of fun. 

Especially these ones because they have little bells so they jingle as you walk.

And just to show how long the kanzashi is on someone here is me wearing it.

I think the best way to wear this kanzashi is with a side bun which is sweeped quite high.  This way the hair will frame the bouquet nicely and also allow the falls to dangle just low enough so they swing freely.  My side bun is a little bit low in this photo because I just used a large beck clip to hold my hair but it gives you an idea of what sort of hairstyle you could try.