Japenese flower

First attempt at a
kanzashi flower

It's been a tough year on so many levels this year, am I right?  From little almost insignificant things to life-changing, life-altering happenings.  When you talk to people almost everyone has a story to tell. And then there are some people who you watch and think wow, you really are one of the stars in this world and you do not realise it.

This said a lovely friend asked me to make her a fabric brooch in a family tartan that she wanted to wear to a special occasion.  It was an important affair and she was to be standing in front of many people and was to be watched via a live online platform too.  She asked if it could show the tartan well and be of a reasonable size but all she had was a 21 inch square of the fabric.  This was how I was introduced to the amazing world of fabric origami and the fun to make Japanese kanzashi flower.  Not heard of it, no neither had I but it is now something I shall return to again and again and would make the most amazing Christmas brooch.  In fact, I did just that...

Old cotton trousers
transformed into a
kanzashi flower

         

The tartan kanzashi brooch gifted to my friend

 

These kanzashi brooches were made in June

Equipment needed for
Kanzashi flower making

Kanzashi flower 

You will need:

cotton fabric measuring 21 square inch

fabric scissors or wheel cutter

tape measure

pins

sewing machine

iron

needle and thread

fabric stiffener ~ optional but recommended

Cut out seven squares of fabric with 9cm sides. Iron each one.

Fold the squares diagonally, keeping the
fabric design showing on the outside. 
Iron to create a crisp fold.

Fold the right-hand corner towards the top corner

Repeat with the left side.  

Iron to create sharp folds.

Turn the square over and fold back
each side so they meet but do not overlap

Here you see the front on the left
of the photo and the back on
the right of the photo. Hold with pins and iron.

All folded and ironed, pins removed.

Pick up the folded square and fold in
half vertically as shown in the above photograph.
This shows how the front looks.
Remember to do this for all seven.

This shows the back at this stage.

 

Hold each in place with a pin.

Snip off the end of each petal as shown above,
just taking off the slanted section.

All petals sniped.

To join the petals together take a needle and
thread and just a few millimetres up from the bottom
sew through all the layers of the petal and repeat for
each one.  Be careful
DO NOT TO PULL TIGHT at this stage.

Ensure from one white cross to the next
that you go through all the layers of fabric. 
This is the front of the brooch.

This is the back of the flower brooch.

To sew the actual petals together which binds the whole
thing, sew each edge from one petal to the
neighbour petal together, see next photograph
for further clarification.

 

Sew from one red arrow across to the next petal

Once each petal is sewn with the next,
gently pull the threads together to
form a tighter flower.  Be gentle or the thread
will snap. This is the front of the flower.

This is the back of the flower.

Here you can clearly see how the flower has been stitched together.

Once the flower petals have been pulled tight
together and you have fastened off
your thread, it is time to open out the petals. Here you
see one petal opened. It is a question of just putting your
thumbs into the petal and pushing away the edges
of the fabric to open up.  Depending on the type
of material you use will depend on how well it
will hold it's shape on its own.  It may be you need to
either spray or glue on some fabric stiffener.

A Christmas Kanzashi Flower Brooch. 
You need to sew on a brooch fastener
to the back and you are all done.

Kanszashi flower.  I left the Christmas Kanzashi brooch
like this, but if you look at the summer Kanzashi flowers I made,
I also covered a button in the same material and added it to the
centre of the flower.  Both versions work just as well.

On this thin cotton fabric, I brushed on
fabric stiffener after I had assembled the flower.

I have realised that I cannot show you the brooch being worn as both that I made for Christmas have been wrapped and gifted! But they obviously look like the summer ones above but in the holly fabric!

♥  Do you wear Christmas embellishments?  ♥

Scandinavian Paper Craft

December 12th

Papercraft Scandinavian style Origami stars

Some of my earliest Christmas memories are those sitting with my mother and mormor (grandmother) making paper heart bags for the Christmas tree.  I have written several posts on them where you can learn about the tradition and how to make your own. Norwegian Christmas hearts

A huge part of Christmas to me is taking time out of our busy lives, slowing down and making family time or now as the birds have flown the nest creating some 'me' time and pottering away an hour or two each week to fill me with joy of the season and forget about the wows of our world and the commercialism that Christmas is trying to become.

This year I decided to recreate some of the stars mor (as a family, we shorted the Norwegian word for grandmother from mormor to mor which means 'mother') had on her tree.  They were made from shaved wooden strips and had such a natural feel to them.  Mor's tree was full of these stars, real candles and a garland string of the Norwegian flag, all topped with a straw angle with foil wings.

In searching how to make these stars I began on Norwegian websites but the web is full of how to make them in every language you could think of.  They start fiddly as most things in life do, with a couple of mutterings under my breath as I ripped yet another strip of paper but I persevered and am so pleased that I did.  Sure enough, after an hour of frustration, I began to be able to make the stars in ten minutes flat.

You can use wrapping paper,
wallpaper or specailist origami paper

It is important to LOCK in the paper so it holds it shape

This stage begins to get exciting

Stars growing like rabbits, be warned it's addicitve

A festive subtle addition to the French doors

A few second clip to show how the stars just gently move...

A close up of the papercraft stars origami style

STAR MEASUREMENTS FOR THE STRIPS:  
For large stars, dimensions are 80cm x 2.5cm
For small stars, the dimensions are 44 x 1.5cm


A few links to various star tutorials:  

Norwegian, but slow enough to get the gist...

Star video tutorial

Danish but with no volume, a clear exapmle, but you will need to keep stopping it as it is not real time.

Quick tutorial for stars



Here are links to previous posts on paper crafts and how I 'dress' the French windows every Christmas:

Paper baubles

I have also found on amazon yiu can order ready cut strips the ideal length for these stars too. If you Google Danish paper weaving strips you should find it.

♥  Have you made any paper decorations, 

do tell...  ♥