Self-Imposed Christmas Challenges

Well, it's cold now, and Helen likes to save energy. The house is freezing most of the time, so I spend an awful lot of hours huddled next to the bathroom heat vent. When the door is opened just the right amount, I can create my own little warm micro-environment. This is how I plan to get through the winter, and probably the spring, too.

Recently, Helen's friend J9 was buying fabric at Mood Fabrics in New York, and grabbed some samples to send to Helen. Some of those swatches were pretty tiny! Helen loved the richness of the silk brocades, though, and became smitten with the idea of using them. The fabrics were mostly rich ruby reds or maroons, and you know, it's Christmas, soon. The only choice was to make some "sampler" flowers.

Since the swatches were mostly long and skinny, Helen's largest squares were about 1 5/8 inches, a size she had always avoided. She just managed to get rounded petals out of them, and came up with this pair of ume, or plum flowers.....

Buy them here https://www.etsy.com/listing/118890008/red-flower-hair-clips-kanzashi-silk . Next, she made triangular petals with the really small squares, and came up with this pair of flowers that resembles hellebores, sort of...

Here they are in the Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/118774650/red-flower-hair-clips-kanzashi-silk

So. She really didn't have to go through all that to make her first sampler flowers, something she had been thinking about for a long time. She could have used normal-sized squares of some fabrics she already had, rather than have the stress of being such a miniaturist. But oh well, that's the way things happen sometimes. Better late than never!

Remember Helen's kikyo? The blue Chinese bell flower that she started back in September? Even though it's not exactly seasonal, Helen wanted to complete it. Here's how it turned out......

Buy it here https://www.etsy.com/listing/118826268/blue-flower-brooch-kanzashi-kikyu Happy Holidays, and try to stay warm!

Christmas Kanzashi (with a little tutorial)

Goodness, it's been so long since I last posted anything! As you can imagine, Helen and
I have been extremely busy. I had some....uh, digestive problems which needed two different courses of anti-biotics to resolve. Then, I had another sort of digestive problem which needed an antacid. Then, there was the matter of this one area I was using as a powder room, which apparently isn't a powder room. Helen got very upset about that....how was I to know? Meanwhile, Helen has been playing a million concerts this month. She managed to squeeze in as many as two kanzashi pieces since I last posted, a headband for her friend Robin, and a Christmas wreath pin!

We're starting to see more and more Christmas kanzashi....some inventive poinsettias and holly, as well as this beautiful snowflake from Ivanna on Etsy www.ivanna.etsy.com ....

and this fabulous Christmas tree from Designs In Blooms on Etsy www.designsinblooms.etsy.com ...

 

Helen loves wreaths, and decided to create one. Here's what she did, and you can try it too! First, she made 30 pointy petals (yep, 30, it's a labor intensive project). She used 1.5 inch squares, but you can probably use any size you want. She glued then together in groups of 3, like this...

 

 

...then, she glued the groups of 3 on top of each other at a slight angle, in the following manner...

 

 

See where I'm going with this? Just glue them on top of each other so that you can form a circle once you've got 10 of them.  OK, once you have your circle completed, decorate it with things like a bow, or some beads to represent Christmas ball ornaments or something! Helen made hers into a brooch...

 

 

The beautiful green taffeta that Helen used is really hard to photograph effectively, so Helen is going to sell this one at her friend Angela's craft fair in a couple weeks, rather than post it on Etsy. If you're in Milwaukee on December 22nd, find them at the Last Ditch Effort Holiday Bazaar at the Kings Commons Studio and Gallery, 2767 Martin Luther King Drive. It's hosted by The Zen Dragonfly. See you there!

 

 

Japanese Maple Leaves and Their Stems

It's been so long since I posted anything! So sorry. I want to thank everyone for all the lovely well-wishes. I'm feeling MUCH better! Yep, I have kidney disease, and I spent a fair amount of time in the kitty hospital, but I'm doing pretty well, now. I have a special new low protein diet, and Helen has to give me subcutaneous fluids twice a week. I'm not enjoying that process, BTW, but what can I do? We might be able to reduce the frequency if my blood numbers show progress at my next veterinary visit. The doctor was very impressed last time.

OK, so it's fall, isn't it? If Helen and I had had more time last month, we would have talked about this earlier, but better late than never.We both love Japanese maple leaf kanzashi. They're just so pretty. But you know what, in almost every example I can find, I don't like the leaf stems.....I'm not going to show you pictures, but typically, stems look awkward, pasted on, not organic. I don't know....I asked Helen if she could come up with something better, and here's a little mini-tutorial to show you Another Way.

All you accomplished kanzashi-makers will know that to create a Japanese maple leaf, you want to make 5 or more long skinny petals. Helen likes to make 3 of about the same length for the middle of the leaf, and 2 more a little shorter for the outer part of the leaf. Now, about the stem.

Try this: cut about a 3 inch piece of wire and twist it from the center, like this...

making loops with the ends, and folding them together, like this...

Now that you have your loops, you can sew them to the center "lobe" of your leaf....simply insert the lobe (petal) inside the folded loops. Sew as you would a "hook and eye" type fastener. The stem part of the wire is on top of the leaf, like this...

 

Here's a side view....click for bigger!

 

 

 

All right, now put together the rest of your leaf. Helen sewed on the middle lobes and then glued the outer ones.....it might have been OK to glue all of them. The reason she did some sewing was because she was unsure about what bead to sew at the base of the leaf, and didn't want to try sewing through hardened hot glue. Here are two completed maple leaves mounted on snap clips....

 

 

The small aventurine beads help to obscure raw edges at the base of the leaves.

 

So, this is just one way to accomplish a Japanese maple leaf! We would LOVE to hear from you about the way you like to do it. Sharing ideas is what promotes progress, right?

Guest Blogger: Helen

I'm Helen, Sadie's person. Sadie just got back from the kitty hospital becasue of kidney failure. She was treated with fluid therapy, and did very well. Last week, I became very concerned about her, because she wasn't eating, didn't seem to be grooming, and spent a lot of time crouched next to her water bowl. People on the Facebooks strongly suggested that I take her to the vet. She had just been there less than 2 weeks earlier, but I took her, and I'm glad I did. It was pretty expensive, but she's eating really really well, now.

So, while Sadie is resting, I thought I'd write an article about finishing your kanzashi, which I've been thinking about lately. Let's say you've made all your flower petals and have glued or sewn them together. Now you most likely have the task of covering up a bunch of raw edges in the center of the flower. What can you use? The easiest thing to do is glue something in there, if you are so lucky as to have just the right thing. I was lucky to have a glass "pebble" to glue in the center of this silk brocade flower...

 

...I also sew lots of beads into the centers of my flowers, such as the onyx in the middle of these silk snap clip flowers...

 

 

I don't use stamens, but many kanzashi makers do. One of my favorites for this practice is Polished Kanzashi on Etsy www.polishedkanzashi.etsy.com . I admire the naturalistic beauty of her handmade clay stamens...

 

 

Another perennial favorite of mine is Emily from Cuttlefishlove on Etsy www.cuttlefishlove.etsy.com . Emily's unique assemblages of fabric and I-don't-know-what-else in her flower centers give the flowers a distinctive look...

 

 

I've seen many buttons in the centers of kanzashi. These can look relatively casual, as in this creation of mine from a couple years ago...

 

 

...or they can look dressy, as in this collar ornament for well-dressed dogs from Arcadius Elegantly Dog on Etsy www.arcadiuselegantlydog.etsy.com ...

 

 

Many people combine beads or little rhinestones with inside-out bead covers, which they glue on (I think?), as in this example from Magpie Creations on Etsy www.magpiecanada.etsy.com

 

 

Or, you can use yet more kanzashi petals, as I did for this sunflower for sale here https://www.etsy.com/listing/105110135/yellow-flower-hair-clip-or-brooch 

 

 

OK, now what can you do when none of that stuff works? I had a situation like that myself, just recently. I tried all sorts of things. None of my beads looked good. I wanted the design to look inevitable, rather than...I don't know, desperate? I decided to make something like cover buttons, but didn't want to mess with actual cover buttons. What could I use instead?

 

All hail styrofoam.

 

When I was a child, I used to visit with my father down at his basement workbench. To keep me occupied, he gave me blocks of styrofoam, into which I hammered nails. We called this "happy wood", for some reason. Anyway, I still save stuff like styrofoam, and I never knew why, but maybe now I do!

 

Here's what you can do: take some styrofoam packing material....you can use the blocky kind, or you could probably even try the peanuts kind. Use a kitchen knife to carve out a piece the size you want. It should probably be relatively flat, with a slightly concave underside. It doesn't have to be perfectly round. If the underside is slightly concave, that's good. Now, cut a piece of fabric to glue over it. Here's mine....the piece of fabric could have been smaller, perhaps...

 

 

Gosh, I have dry skin. OK, use a hot glue gun to cover your styrofoam with fabric. Glue it into the center of your flower, and voila.....

 

 

This flower is part of a snap clip pair...

 

 

...that you can buy here https://www.etsy.com/listing/115257962/blue-brown-flower-hair-clips-kanzashi 

 

So, long live styrofoam and other packing materials. If you use them this way, you will be keeping them out of landfills, if nothing else! What other non-traditional materials do you use for your flower centers? Let me know; legions of kanzashi makers are waiting to find out!

 

Uh-Oh, Film Festival...

So, Helen is into cinema. Not distractedly so, but she likes a good movie, and is drawn to indie films. When the Milwaukee Film Festival http://mkefilm.org/ happens, all bets are off. She goes to as many films as she can, and deciding which ones to view is a momentous decision, requiring all sorts of study, schedule juggling, checking of Netflix, etc., etc. Last year, Helen was busy making stuff for a gallery (which sold almost nothing) during the festival, so she missed the entire thing. This year, I suspect little or no kanzashi will be made. It's going to be work, eat, sleep, watch movies. I shall not be partaking, as there aren't any films about cats, so why would I care?

Meanwhile, I thought I'd post an oddity that Helen made a while ago. Back when Helen first started making hair accessories, her friend Marcia commissioned a matching Tudor Rose hair clip and boutonniere as a wedding present for some hardcore Ren Faire junkies. Helen didn't even know about kanzashi back then, and made everything using singed fabric. Here's what she came up with:

Not too bad I guess, but check out the latest kanzashi version of the same thing:

Whaddya think? Better? Helen's friend Irene bought one of these, and she particularly liked the way the kanzashi flower appeared to be "carved", which is the way Tudor Roses in England are frequently found. To read more about it (or buy it!) check out the Etsy listing here https://www.etsy.com/listing/53982760/tudor-rose-brooch-or-hair-clip

So, um, I don't know how much time I'll have to post for the next couple weeks....uh, I'm a very busy cat, you know.

UPDATE: This item has been in a few Etsy treasuries, but here's a new one specifically about the War of the Roses http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTQ0ODQ2MDR8MjcyMDgxODM3Mw/the-war-of-the-roses?ref=af_shop_tre

Innovations

Helen and I are very fond of taking things to the next level, so to speak. Since Helen has no traditional training in kanzashi-making, she's had to learn everything herself, except for a few online tutorials. There are precious few books, at least in English, about kanzashi. The most well-publicized one just doesn't look that good to us. We'd love it if someone with a lot of experience wrote a thorough how-to.

But in any case, Helen likes to make up her own way of doing things, and there's nothing wrong with that. She and I also admire the innovative work of others. Here are some neat things we've seen lately!

Inna Stradomska from Innagoldfish on Etsy www.innagoldfish.etsy.com has created this wonderful spirally petal that we've only seen from some of the Eastern European kanzashi makers....

Maegan from Mountain Musings on Etsy www.mountainmusings.etsy.com has a trademark petal pictured here that we just love. It reminds us of meringue peaks on the one hand, and elf slippers on the other.....

Cathy from Designs In Blooms on Etsy www.designsinblooms.etsy.com has created an unusual shape
which reminds us of liatris flowers.....

 

The Monkey Moos on Etsy www.themonkeymoos.etsy.com has also come up with not only an unusual shape and an unusual way of gluing petals together, but also an innovative way of layering petals...nothing traditional about this one!

 

 

Elizabeth K from ImlothMelui on Etsy www.imlothmelui.etsy.com has gone to extremes with long, long petals that form these ginko leaves...

 

 

And also from Elizabeth is this unusual rose....

 

 

Lastly, I can't resist showing you this wonderful tiger lily from Regina of Little Cookie on Etsy www.littlecookie.etsy.com . The petal types are certainly recognizable, but the way they are used is an innovation, for sure....

 

 

So you see, kanzashi is a fascinating art. Artists are limited by the kinds of petals they can produce, but the variations in the ways artists use those petals is their real genius. Gosh, this was fun. I'm looking forward to more.

 

 

 

Fan Kanzashi

It's cold. Well, it's way colder than it was back in Houston, where I used to live with Helen's friend Jason's sister, and with my companion cat Babu, who died in July. I go around the house chasing sunbeams and finding places to huddle and stay warm. I'm not much of a lap cat, but every once in a while I sit on Helen's lap, which is hospitable enough. She's not home much these days.....her boss http://www.mso.org/about_mso/meet_the_orchestra/musician_roster/edo_de_waart was in town last week, and she had lots of rehearsals to be at, besides other stuff. So, I'm cold, and no new kanzashi were made here this last week. But here's one that we forgot about a few weeks ago.

See, a few weeks ago, I did a post on non-flower kanzashi http://sadieskanzashiblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/when-are-kanzashi-not-flowers.html and Helen showed me her non-flower pieces and pointed me to other people's non-flower pieces. So, that was fine, but we forgot one. It was part of  group of kanzashi sitting in a store http://www.magpiejewelry.com/ for kind of a long time, and needed to be traded for fresh stuff. Here it is, the one and only tsumami kanzashi fan hair clip in existence:

 

Seriously, I can't find any others. This one is silk brocade with an amethyst bead and some grey freshwater pearls. It looks like sort of a peacock feather fan, the way its shape curves. Buy it here https://www.etsy.com/listing/109939133/blue-hair-clip-kanzashi-fan-silk-brocade  Really, buy the thing.....you can be assured that it is an exclusive, as Helen has very little of this fabric left. And a jeweled fan is a very elegant thing to have in your hair, n'est-ce pas?

September's Flower

I know it's been a long time since I last posted something for all of you! Helen went back to work for these people www.mso.org and made a music video with these people www.jasonseedmusic.com . So, where does that leave kanzashi-making? Dead in the water, I'd say. It being September, Helen finally put her mind to the traditional September kanzashi flower, the Chinese bellflower, or kikyo.

Now, Helen had never made one of these before, but figured she could do it. They are usually blue on the outside, and layered with something white or lighter blue on the inside, but this is not always the case. Kanazashi-making is about interpretation, and everyone does their flowers a little differently. Also, most bellflowers have pointed petals. Typically, you make a rounded ume-type petal and put a point on it with some glue. Here are some examples: first, a delicate two-toned dyed version of a bellflower cluster on a fork, by Marissa Rojas of MJR Designs http://mjrojas.com/.....

 

...Next, another dyed example with leaves by amaebi79 on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/10936702@N07/sets/72157601291671947/ .....

 

 

....Here's a red version with an added leaf by RandomCatGirl on Etsy www.randomcatgirl.etsy.com .....

 

 

....which brings us to a colorful bobby pin

interpretation by AtelierKanawa on Etsy www.atelierkanawa.etsy.com ....

 

....and a lovely plain blue version with falls by KanzashiHime on Etsy www.kanzashihime.etsy.com ...

 

 

OK, now to Helen's first ever kikyo. Not bad for an amateur, I guess. She used blue and white dupioni silk, and a freshwater pearl.

 

 

Add some buds and leaves, and it becomes this lovely brooch...

 

 

 

Hmmm, well that photo got tampered with, didn't it? Better photos and purchase ability here https://www.etsy.com/listing/118826268/blue-flower-brooch-kanzashi-kikyu 

 

 

 

 

Knowing When to Quit

Helen likes to invent new kanzashi petals. She had the highest of hopes over the last few days, that her new filigree petal, while not the easiest shape to get right consistently, was going to make a nice flower. And why wouldn't it? Here's a small one:

Isn't it lovely? What could possibly go wrong? Helen made 12 of these in black, a little larger than the one pictured, and set about gluing them this morning. That's where she ran into trouble. In a flower of 6 petals, connecting petal #6 to petal #1 created a distorted shape and just didn't work. Disappointed, Helen threw out the rest of them, made a pair of ume (plum flowers) snap clips that she had planned on making with some tricky kimono silk and snowflake obsidian beads----

---and called it a day. Buy 'em here https://www.etsy.com/listing/109118774/black-flower-hair-clips-kanzashi-silk You know what, though? She's got another invention to try out, eventually. Here's one...

Ooh, that's some dry skin! Anyway, it's possible that other people have made this one, but Helen came up with it on her own. Here's another that Helen has successfully used...

....and here it is in the center of a flower....

As you can see, it works quite well with dupioni silk. A slightly different version of this flower is for sale here. But what about today's petal? Ditch it forever?Try it with a different fabric? Try gluing it in a different way? Any of these are possibilities. We'll just have to see.