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Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 1095 Location: California Fav. Motif: sakura, bird, cho, water, star
soooo, I'm trying to learn how to make kanzashi, but everything is so scattered and hard to find. Maybe it would be good to have one thread with just information? Hopefully this is ok. You could help by posting your favorite links, books (ISBN's?) and tips?
Please check the top post to make sure that what you are adding isn't already there?
Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 1095 Location: California Fav. Motif: sakura, bird, cho, water, star
thanks songbird and vivien for fabric and glue suggestions!
starching suggestions from:
Dschinny wrote:
for large senior maiko kanzashi, I prepare the silk like this:
- cut 2 long stripes of silk ca. 8cm wide - wet, stretch & place it on a glass plate (picture frame for ex) - paint dots for the inner layer, paint solid for the outer layer, - dry - iron to fix colors & starch (using spray starch) - cut with roteray cutter to 8cm squares
option: - ironing the first fold (squares to triangles) makes it easier to combine the layered petals.
_________________
Last edited by aimee on Thu May 03, 2007 4:24 am, edited 4 times in total.
Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 2934 Location: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
glad to have helped!
Even though I know that rice glue is traditional, I still love using the fabric-tac. It's so fast and holds the petals really well with a small amount. Also, it won't let go when it gets wet. So, epecially for beginners I recommend that.
but, if you do want to use the rice glue, here's a recipe that I posted a while ago. The disclaimer is that you'll need to clean out the blender Really well after you make the glue- I went back to the blender a few weeks later and couldn't figure out why the motor was spinning but not the blades...
Making Rice Glue for Kanzashi
This is Really easy and produces a glue that is authentic and Very effective. And cheap. I mean, how many of us don't have a cup of rice?
ingredients: 1 cup rice, 1/4 cup salt, 3-4 (maybe more) cups water.
Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature and simmer for 45 minutes. Check the rice- it should be looking almost like oatmeal. If it's more discernably rice, add water and cook longer. When it looks almost like oatmeal, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Blend in a blender (or you can put it through a sieve to remove the larger rice peices. You may need to add more water to get it to blend all the way.
You're done! Store it in the refridgerator- this will make at least 2 cups or so, which will make a LOT of kanzashi!
I tried it out and although it does take a while to dry, it dries Very hard and nearly invisible. Also it prevents the edges of the petals from unraveling where they don't meet the base.
Have fun!
Last edited by SONGBIRD516 on Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Joined: 02 Jan 2006 Posts: 4665 Location: Columbus, GA, USA
aimee, thanks for taking initiative on this. The mods and I are thinking of making this thread similar to the Making Kimono/Obi Mega thread--as in, putting it in the Knowledge Bank and locking other threads, so that all further discussion will take place here.
So I encourage everyone to post any pertinent links here! Much appreciated.
I'll move it later once I've added my own links and am less sleepy.
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 181 Location: The Netherlands, Kaatsheuvel
So nice to have so many tutorials to make kanzashi!
I'm definitely going to try and make a first attempt very soon. I've got a lot of deepred, shiny, velours-kindish fabrics, just to try.
But how do you attach your kanzashi to a bobbypin or hairclip?
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 181 Location: The Netherlands, Kaatsheuvel
got the answers in a different topic:
SONGBIRD516 wrote:
I use the large quilting clips for kanzashi- they have a hole in one end. Usually I just wrap the wire really well around the hole in the end of the clip.
Dschinny wrote:
Chiyo: I wrap up the wire-stems of the flower with a very thin wire, insert the end of the pin (bend from strong wire) and continue wrapping. I secure the end of the wire wrapping with a dot of hot glue to keep it from scratching, pulling hairs or unwrapping.
Choice of glue I use both, hot- and rice-glue for my kanzashi since they both have their advantages. (Which can occasionally turn into disadvantages... it really depends of the project)
- Hot-glue sets in an instant, works well with organic, plastic and metal. It is waterproof, but can be touched up with heat (hairdryer for example)
- Rice-glue gives you a long arrangement time, leaves no marks on silk, starches the silk and can be dissolved by a drop of water.
In the spider-chrysanthemum-projectfor example, I couldn't use a base with the outermost diameter of the flower (the filigrane look would be gone). No use of rice glue without a base all under the petal. (Plus I was doing laundry. Multi-tasking with a full row of petals sitting on a board of drying rice glue would drive me crazy.)
To starch or not to starch? I didn't use starch for the spider chrysanthemums because I wanted the long petals to be soft and bendable. Again, it depends on the project. Using starched silk would have eased the folding of the inner ring of tiny petals a lot, but I was too lazy to get starch, iron and board out for less than a square inch of silk.
I don't starch very often, but the results of spray starch convinced me so far. I can recomment using starch
- for folding squares smaller than 1cm side-length,
- for projects that request sharp folding lines, such as pinks or cherry blossoms
- for single flower-projects with 8cm-squares of light weight fabric
.....
check back at the kanzashi-challenge for monthly updates from the workshop and post your progress in making seasonal kanzashi! :lovelove
chiyo: you can see the artist wrapping up such a long kanzashi-bridge in part 3 of the video. Note that traditionally it is not symetric, but more like a branch.
Joined: 02 Mar 2006 Posts: 1216 Location: Los Angeles, CA
I might also recommend a series of youtube How To's / DIYs on petalwork by a woman who also sells kanzashi on etsy. As I understand it, she apprenticed with a kanzashi expert in Japan. I think her business name is Atelier Kanawa. (She also makes fused glass obi-dome, and she's LA local.)
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 181 Location: The Netherlands, Kaatsheuvel
Dschinny wrote:
chiyo: you can see the artist wrapping up such a long kanzashi-bridge in part 3 of the video. Note that traditionally it is not symetric, but more like a branch.
The wrapping up I saw in the video, but how do you attach it to your hair? I saw the man who made that kanzashi-bridge making it more roud, but there were no pins to put it your hair...
i hope its not too much to ask, but can someone maybe please post a picture of the backside of such a bridge. I know it's not the site people will see, and therefore not the gorgeous side...
I'm sorry for being such a pain when it comes to kanzashi-making, it's just that I want to do it right.
Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 85 Location: Gotland, Sweden
Dschinny :
Quote:
I don't starch very often, but the results of spray starch convinced me so far.
Does anyone have a brand for this kind of starch?
And where do you buy it?
I am going to New York with my class in March is there any good
hardware stores there some where? :???:
I do also wonder how you attach the kanzashi-bridge on to your hair?
Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 1804 Location: chasing the wee one...
You can find spray starch in the laundry aisle of grocery stores. I think "Niagara" is one brand, however, you can make it at home. I will post the recipe later.
Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 1804 Location: chasing the wee one...
Making starch is far cheaper than buying it. My original recipe for starch comes from a 1946 cookbook and makes nearly 3 quarts of the finished product. This is very nice for starching massive amounts of fabric yardage prior to cutting, but is entirely too much for kanzashi. Use these proportions:
1 part corn starch (originally ½ cup, use a smaller quantity as your base measure unless you want a lot of starch!)
Slowly add 1 part cold water, stirring into a paste
Add 16 parts very hot water, stirring as you add
Cook about 5 minutes over low/medium heat, stirring to prevent lumps (the starch should become clearer, so cook until this happens!)
Strain, cool and put into a clean spray bottle. The recipe says to dilute to the consistency of thin cream, but I use it nearly straight. It may leave residue on your iron, but it should come off with a damp cloth and some elbow grease. (obviously, don't try to clean a hot iron!)
Edited to add: Keep this stuff in the fridge!!! It goes bad otherwise and smells terrible! :x
Last edited by hibana on Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 85 Location: Gotland, Sweden
Aha! Okey :oops: now I do feel a bit stupid!
I even think that I have a package of Maizena in the kitchen.
Thank you xiner
I have bought some fine white silk and now I have gotten my rice glue, the fabric is 30 cm long or so and it's about 500 cm long, so it's going to be lots of kanzashi from it!
Does anyone know how much a 1\2 cup is in metric measurements?
Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: 298 Location: Malmo, Sweden
Nimdun:
U can get VERY good starch in sweden too. Got to a bigger local shop (say ICA) and go to the part where they have fläckborttagningsmedel (sorry, can't remeber english word so that had to be swedish) and such stuff. there u find something called "VERDA stärkelse, permanenttyp".
There is the can u spray on, not good. but, there are tubes with starch u mix for your self in water and then dip the fabric in and just iron it hard.
The more starch in the water the more hard fabric. You can easily make the fabric so hard it can stand straigh up. If it gets too hard you just rince the fabric in some water and let it dry and iron again. then you take away the starch that was too much.
Love the stuff. use it for soooo much clothing. and kanzashi :P
oh, and Panduro hobby has habotai and ponge silk by the meter.
Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 85 Location: Gotland, Sweden
Thank you PleasureDroid!
I'll go and check the stores tomorrow, though I'll probably
need to head in to the city for the largest "local" shop in
Gotland they probably will have something.
And thanks for the tip on Panduro I thought that I didn't see that when I looked trough their magasin, but I'll do another check!
The wrapping up I saw in the video, but how do you attach it to your hair? I saw the man who made that kanzashi-bridge making it more roud, but there were no pins to put it your hair... i hope its not too much to ask, but can someone maybe please post a picture of the backside of such a bridge. I know it's not the site people will see, and therefore not the gorgeous side... I'm sorry for being such a pain when it comes to kanzashi-making, it's just that I want to do it right.
He included two dark single pins, about 10cm long, 6cm apart. You can't see them well because the lay along the "branch" but in the end, he bends them 90° to go into the bun.
I prefer a diffrent method: I bend strong wire into a 5-forked comb and include that. It's more hassle, but the outcome is more versatile with my hair... once it is in, you can't see the difference anyway.
Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 85 Location: Gotland, Sweden
I have been wondering how to fold this pental for more then a week now, and I still haven't figured out how to do it I know how to do the basic for but how do you do the little "V" shaped pointing towards the middel on the edge of the pental?
Joined: 20 Mar 2007 Posts: 181 Location: The Netherlands, Kaatsheuvel
Haven't made them myself, but they're almost the same as these, but at the end, when you've folded your petal, you squeeze the inside of the rond bend with tweezers or something. Don't know if you use glue to keep it in form, but that's basically I guess...
I did become quite irriteted doing these kanzashi...
First the fold didn't want to stay folded!!
And secound after I had put it on the rice glue I couldn't form it as I wanted, beacuse if I touched a petal it would just unfold again...
And third.. It was really a challenge to get the pentals to stay on the frame I did! Beacuse of the rice glue the hot glue didn't stick and the rice glue was soooooo slippery it just kept falling of the frame I'd made..
GoldenPhoenix I notis'd that you had made the center flower of your kanzashi the way I wanted mine to become like I even recall SONGBIRD516 and Dschiny have made that fold before most for bell flowers and cherry flowers. Can someone of you post how you fold for those flowers?
I just thought I would give you my detailed recipe for rice glue. The good thing about this recipe is that it does not need a blender but a little patient is required. It took me 1-2 months to get what I am using now and it is still working in progress.
Ingredients
1 part Glutinous rice flour (hence no blender and less object to destroyed)
4-5 parts cold water
1/4 part salt (I don't put salt in mine because UK is bug free and cold)
Step one : Mix all the ingredients in a small cooking pot, this mixture will look like very thing white paint. Make sure there are no lumps because once you begin cooking it you can not stir it much.
Step two : Place the pot on a medium heat and watch the liquid heat up. It will seem that nothing is happening but as you heat it up, the liquid at the base of the pan will thicken up and stick to the base (it will also go slightly transparent). You can check this by tilting the pan to one side and seeing if this is happening. Until this is happening do not stir it! This should not take too long.
Once it is slightly sticking, reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your hob and gently fold it to loosen the liquid at the base. This could make it look lumpy but imagine you are making a cake using beaten egg white, the technique of folding the egg white to cake mixture is the one you use here.
The reason why we are folding and not stirring is that we do not want to break the starch molecules (sorry for the science). We only want to cook them so they take up the water. This is something I have pick up from my mother when she is make congee for lunch. If you stir it you will get a watery glue which does not hold the petals when you put them on the board.
Step three : Now comes the patient part, you need to reduce the mixture to 1/4 of its amount on a very low heat. You will need to watch the mixture and fold it every so often to prevent burning at the base. I am afraid to say that some mixture will stick to the pan but the folding will keep it to a minimum. This is the part that may need practice because it is tricky to say how often you should fold it.
Step four : Once it has reduce to 1/4 you can test it to see if its the right consistency. Get a cold plate and spread a little bit of the mixture.
There are 3 checks to see if the glue is finished
First check it should spread fairly smooth. If it spreads lumpy , means it has not cooked evenly which could be solved my some more gently folding. If it spreads too easy then it needs further reduction.
Second when it has cooled down, get a dry finger and test how tacky it is. You should feel the glue holding onto your finger as you pull it away from the glue and then snapping off when your finger is 5 cm away. If it snaps off less then 5 cm then go to the third check. If it snaps off greater then 5 cm then you may need to reduce it further or it could mean you have folded the glue too much (but it does not mean you can not use it - go to the third check).
Third look at the texture of the glue, if it has spread or smoothed out by a significant amount it means it is too runny and will need further reduction. The finished glue will smooth out but only slightly.
If all the three checks are satisfied then you have finished your glue. Allow to cool down and store as normal in a fridge.
Of course the more you reduce the glue the more tacky the glue. Also when you are using the glue, stir it first then wait for about an hour before you apply the petals on it and wait a further hour before transferring the petals to base.
I am sorry it is such a long post but I hope it has answered all the question you may have if you are making rice glue.
Yes, how do you make the little notch and make it stay, for sakura tsumami? Do you just pinch it with tweezers and hope that the starch will hold it? Pinch it and add more starch?
Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 2934 Location: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
that's one way to do it, or you can put a tiny bit of glue in the center where you're going to pinch it. ( I use fabric-tac). Both ways seem to work well.
Also on the note of cherry blossoms. I have just tried to use hairspray to hold the little v shape and it had limited success. It seems to have created a very faint v shape which makes it look very delicate but you won't be able to see the effect from a distance. Maybe a different spray is needed. Then I thought "how about melted wax!". It should hold the shape pretty well and it does soak into the fabric. What do people think?
Post subject: where to get the middle pieces for kanzashi
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:57 pm
Shikomi-san
Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 2 Location: SARASOTA
Hi,
I think you are talking about stamens, and bead caps
I would advice to get gold or silver plated bead caps from any stores that sells bead and stuff like
http://www.firemountaingems.com I shopped from this store several times they are reliable and cheap
also www.ringsandthings.com is very good, too.
I get flatsided pearls, sometimes they are called side drilled button pearl.
you can also use swarovski crystal beads to put in the middle.
as for the stamens, I search the internet with keywords like "stamen +vintage" or stamen +baking.
white stamens can be found in local michaels store at the cake -baking section. you can also search cake making stores on line to get some. if you like to have colored ones, then go to hat making, doll making, vintage shops. they carry a lot of colorful and pretty stamens for cherry blossoms, iris, etc
I hope this helps
cheers
Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 391 Location: Kansas City, Kansas
This is great! I'm thinking about making some pieces myself. And now with all this info, it'll definitely happen. I've been putting off doing it for months, but I'm finally ready to give it a shot.
Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 10 Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Is there a place that you can buy the two prong hair pins for kanzashi or do most of you make your own? I wanted to make some larger kanzashi but can't seem to find where to buy the pins.
Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 2913 Location: France Fav. Maiko: Mameharu Umehisa Kyôka Fukuyû Fav. Geiko: Kotoha, Umeha, Komomo. Fav. Motif: Ivy/kiku leaf. Same komon. Ran
Zipangu Treasures used to have them, but I can't see any in stock right now. I think all those who didn't hand-make them got them from there, so you better be good at crafts!
You can also inquire as to when they'll have more (if any.)
Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 391 Location: Kansas City, Kansas
Aki_fox wrote:
http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/kimonoyasan/086-0353.html OMG I want this sooooo bad. I haven't the faintest idea how I would make it though! What do you girls think the surka petals are made out of?
http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/kimonoyasan/086-0353.html OMG I want this sooooo bad. I haven't the faintest idea how I would make it though! What do you girls think the surka petals are made out of?
It seems to be made from coloured plastic/glass with a thin metal backing but it isn't clear. It definitely isn't made from fabric as I can't see any folds.
Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 391 Location: Kansas City, Kansas
hellokitty8182 wrote:
Aki_fox wrote:
http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/kimonoyasan/086-0353.html OMG I want this sooooo bad. I haven't the faintest idea how I would make it though! What do you girls think the surka petals are made out of?
It seems to be made from coloured plastic/glass with a thin metal backing but it isn't clear.  It definitely isn't made from fabric as I can't see any folds.
It is very lovely and delicate.
It looks like the pink flowers are enamel or resin with glitter added. And I see what looks like either crystals or rhinestones and a pearl (peal like material).
Joined: 08 May 2008 Posts: 687 Location: United States Fav. Motif: maple leaf, bambo, butterflys
I have this werid idea to take some cheap rings that have "gold" flowers with perals to make my own....
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?ca ... 5&Page=all So does anyone think that if I cut of the ring part and some how fuse a new base togther with the flowers that is for hair that it work?
Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 391 Location: Kansas City, Kansas
Aki_fox wrote:
I have this werid idea to take some cheap rings that have "gold" flowers with perals to make my own.... http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?ca ... 5&Page=all So does anyone think that if I cut of the ring part and some how fuse a new base togther with the flowers that is for hair that it work?
That is so cute! I think you can do a lot of things with that. But that sounds like a fabulous idea. If you decided to do that, I would love to see a picture. :kawaii:
Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 391 Location: Kansas City, Kansas
Aki_fox wrote:
Though I have no idea how I would fuse them togther.... . Glue could work but I don't think it would be strong enough.
You could try one of those hand held soldering tools. The one I've seen on t.v. is a portable one that they say is good for crafts and cools right after use. It's called ColdHeat. You could Google it and see what pops up. It looks like it would help a lot. I certainly want one. I'll post a pic of it for you.
the last fabric kanzashi, I think it is made of regular silk flowers, the photo is a bit of focus, but from what I see I think they are not tsumami kanzashi.
cheers
Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 2913 Location: France Fav. Maiko: Mameharu Umehisa Kyôka Fukuyû Fav. Geiko: Kotoha, Umeha, Komomo. Fav. Motif: Ivy/kiku leaf. Same komon. Ran
I'm certain they are made of two-pointed-petals-together-per-full-petal, since i made some that way that look the same. If not, one can still make identical petals with the method.
Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 429 Location: Indiana, USA Fav. Maiko: Wakana Fav. Geiko: Kikuno of Nara Fav. Motif: Peony, peacocks, fish, matsu
A while ago I came across some really nice videos in Japanese about the process of making kanzashi, and when I tried to revisit my bookmarks and found that the videos were gone! Then I realized that the Tokyo Tourism website had done a major website revamp and all of their old links were broken. It took me a little bit of searching to find the new links so I thought I'd share:
The broadband video URLs are mislinked, I think, since they go to videos about hake instead of kanzashi. Here are the correct links to the high-res videos: Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 Number 4 Number 5
I think the videos are in the same order as bebemochi describes them in her livejournal, but I haven't checked all of them. Thanks for the original links, bebemochi!
krissy_kimono, gochemoche - ColdHeat soldering irons are really good for metal - apparently, they work through the conductivity of the metal or somesuch... I've found that a traditional soldering iron works quite well for 'welding' synthetics by melting them together, but not so much with natural fabrics.
I think kanzashi are next on my list of handcrafts...
Joined: 24 Apr 2009 Posts: 40 Fav. Maiko: All maiko-san ^_^ Fav. Geiko: All geiko-san ^_^ Fav. Motif: Waves,cranes
I found a really great page that is all about kanzashi ! I wanted to find more information about every single type of kanzashi,caleder and so on. My research was a few days long because none of the pages I found at first were good enough and correct. I ended with two great pages! They both have kanzashi toturials,calenders and articles about kanzashi !
The first one is : http://www.kanzashigarden.com I like the way everything is displayed. The style of writing. I like this one more than the second one because it is more elegant. It also has more info. On the other hand they are both good But the page isn't updated since October and that makes me sad and worried
The second one is : http://www.vivcore.com/kanzashi_core.html As the first one it is all about kanzashi. But I don't like the display but it has more toturials so I guess they are both good enough. The owner also displays a collection of her/his own kanzashi collection. She/he made them by her/his self according to the toturials. And many of them look very professional! The last upadate was made on March 11th. so this shows that the page is more updated.
Katsue: Thank you for posting those links. I am glad that she updated the Vivicore website. I liked the other page as well for its fine display that almost looks like a super-imposed television image of a Maiko to me. Not sure how to explain it. I have yet to start making any ummm "real" kanzashi. LOL! It's been over a month and I finally finally heard from one of my buyers on eBay with an address correction so I can finally ship her bira bira kanzashi to her very soon. My own bira bira lie demurely neglected in this room. Always so much to do here!
Joined: 25 Jan 2009 Posts: 75 Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Fav. Motif: Ume or Sakura
Could anyone tell me what the centers of these are made of? (The soft, fluffy bits)
Thanks!
_________________ Looking for high-quality, affordable kanzashi? Visit my shop at http://sakuradancer.etsy.com. New kanzashi added weekly, and custom orders welcome!
Sakura-dancer: We would have to know who made the Kanzashi, if it's possible. If not, it looks to me like thread or cord, but I could be wrong. It seems to me some types of dried flowers' stems might have this effect as well. You might visit a local florist and see what they have available in the grasses area, but this is really the wrong time of year for that - in the fall they may start having the dried grass displays and wreaths. Just an idea.
Joined: 25 Jan 2009 Posts: 75 Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Fav. Motif: Ume or Sakura
Thanks kathiego!
Your help is greatly appreciated!
_________________ Looking for high-quality, affordable kanzashi? Visit my shop at http://sakuradancer.etsy.com. New kanzashi added weekly, and custom orders welcome!
Sakura-Dancer: I just had a thought. What would the flower stamens look like if you cut off the pearlized end? Click here to view. Hope this helps. Zipangu-Treasures is a very good resource. You can find more Kanzashi making supplies from either his eBay store or like my example, his online store. No I do not get any benefits from promoting him.
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I've been putting off doing it for months, but I'm finally ready to give it a shot.
. Glue could work but I don't think it would be strong enough.
Then I realized that the Tokyo Tourism website had done a major website revamp and all of their old links were broken. It took me a little bit of searching to find the new links so I thought I'd share:
I have yet to start making any ummm "real" kanzashi. 
