Kanzashi Bracelet, Part Trois

Well, it's officially winter, and the weather around here has been annoying, and about to get far worse, from what I understand. Good time to turn our attention to other things, like this new bracelet idea.

Helen's friend Erin loves the color green, and each December, Helen gives herself the personal challenge of making something green for Erin's birthday. Since Helen noticed that Erin had been wearing a beautiful jade bracelet, you know in which direction the new ideas started to go! And since Helen and Erin's orchestral colleagues like to decorate themselves quite a bit for their Christmas concerts, well.....here's the fabric Helen chose, a chirimen silk sent by her Kanzashi Fairy Godmother in Japan.....

Helen used an idea similar to last year's kanzashi Christmas wreath pin....make a lot of skinny pointy petals, and glue them together in groups of three, then glue the groups to each other. Here's what she got:

An abstract sort of pepperminty wreath for your wrist! How do you fasten it? With some snaps.....

                                                    ....on either end....

           ...and a glued satin ribbon protects the underside. Here it is on our famous bracelet model.....

This design is pretty labor intensive, so Helen decided not to put it into commercial production, haha, but you go ahead and make it. You have time, right? Maybe more bracelets coming down the pike, I think!

Christmas Kanzashi 2013

Season's Greetings to all, and as usual, there's not much time to post today, but I thought I'd show you a couple new Christmas pieces that Helen has made for her Etsy shop.

First, one of Helen's many cross-cultural creations! A pair of kanzashi bobby pin flowers made from a small remnant of the vintage Liberty of London cotton print, "Ianthe". Helen had no idea that Liberty of London, or Liberty Tana Lawn, was A Thing, but it is. Helen showed the fabric to J9 over her Thanksgiving visit, and J9, a fabric connoisseur, got all excited. Here's the pattern, a very art nouveau looking thing....

.....and here are Helen's more abstract looking bobby pins, complete with vintage faux pearls....

Buy 'em here . Next, here are some snap clip flowers that Helen made from a small piece of Japanese linen that Suzanne C. gave to Helen. Very Christmassy!

Bigger pictures are here , where you can also buy them. There's another Christmassy sort of thing coming down the pike, but we need to reserve that one for another post!

Meanwhile, J9 convinced Helen to try a rotary cutter, which is fairly standard for kanzashi makers, but which Helen had resisted for years. The good things are that it can be a more accurate than shears and that it allows you to skip the step of marking your fabric. The down side is that Helen is having a little trouble getting the hang of it. We think that she has already managed to dull part of her blade, because of rubbing against her rulers, or something. The wheel seems to skip, and some fabric shredding is going on. Any tips from you more experienced rotary cutter users are much appreciated!

New Bobby Pin Design

So, Helen has been serving an awful lot of masters, lately, and is very distracted. On the one hand, it's great to be needed and active! On the other hand, it can be pretty stressful, what with the Problems Helen and her colleagues are dealing with.

Anyhoo, I wanted to show you Helen's fun new bobby pin design. Take a look!

Aren't they cute? We are unsure of the fiber content, as Helen got this bright pink chiffon remnant from longtime dressmaker Susie F, but it might be silk. It sure works well with this petal shape. Helen used vintage faux pearls for the centers. Buy 'em here . We're thinking about what other fabrics and colors Helen can use for this design.....maybe they would be good bridal hair accessories.

In other news, our friend Joana now has a fabulous licensing agreement for some of her work! Some of her whimsical fashion illustrations now adorn phone and iPad cases. Check 'em out here .

Lastly, Helen now has a new place to sell some of her wares. Third Coast Style is a beautiful new store in Milwaukee's fashion district. Here are some of Helen's new Christmas-y silk pendants, which will be in the store starting mid-November....

Note the blood trillium in the upper right corner. OK, so gotta go. Helen has a lot of work to do, and I'm working on staying warm.

Kanzashi Morning Glory

Helen and I love kanzashi morning glories! We've been admiring them for years, and Helen has tried to figure out how to make one the traditional way, with absolutely no success. We have observed two distinct petal shapes that other artists use for asagao, or morning glories. Here's an example of one....

....it might be hard to see, but it's a rounded petal that creates a trumpet-shaped flower. We think it's just so beautiful. You can buy this one on Etsy from JagataraArt here . Now, here's an example of the other petal shape, equally as beautiful....

This is also available on Etsy from GirLinKimono ; buy it here . Well, Helen even found an online tutorial for one of these, and couldn't make head or tail out of it. Not wanting to just give up, Helen made up her own morning glory petal. The goal was to look something like these...

                                                      ....and here's what Helen made.....

And guess what? Helen's new petal, while unorthodox for kanzashi, is pretty easy, so here's your tutorial! First, cut a 3-inch square of fabric and fold it roughly in thirds, like this...

....now, fold that in half...

.....now, pinch in the center, like this......

.....and fasten it with a bobby pin, or something.....

......and now stitch it, or glue it....whatever you usually do to make your kanzashi petals. Helen's sewn version looks like this on the back....

OK, now glue 5 of these together, leaving no space at the top. A variation you might want to try, is to sew or glue the petals in reverse, so that the smooth side is the front of the flower. We haven't tried that out yet, but we're thinking about it. Let us know what happens if you do it, OK? 

 

Nerdy botanical note: the above photo of flowers is a Google image generated from the keywords morning glories. If you search for asagao, you find photos of similar flowers, but the leaves are quite different; they have 3 lobes, not something you find in the Americas at all. So, we're assuming the Japanese asagao is a different species from what we look at in our neighborhood.

So, Helen made the above comb for herself. She's got some plans to make something similar to sell, from a rich, royal blue vintage kimono silk, and I don't know, something green for the leaves. We'll keep you posted!

Review from Christine

Just a quickie, tonight, I guess. Christine posted her very lovely review of some of Helen's work a few days ago. Read it here . Also, Christine sent Helen some of her beautiful photos, such as this one...

(Logo by Christine). A new version of these clips is posted on Etsy here . And this one. These little ume, or plum flowers, are listed on Etsy as a snap clip pair. Christine requested these on ponytail elastics, as she wanted to wear them with her braids. Helen thought it was a cute idea.....

This is a made-to-order item, which you can find here .

Anyhoo, at this moment, Helen is laboriously and slowly experimenting with something. Necessity is the mother of invention, as is making up something of your own if you can't figure out how to do it the way everyone else does it. All shall be revealed when Helen finally finishes her project. For now, we have high hopes.

Kanzashi Fun with Blogs

Helen started working again with these people , so her time has gotten a little more limited for creative work. Luckily, she gets to bask in a little recognition that's been happening recently!

Helen's friend Joana featured some of Helen's hair accessory designs in this whimsical little blog post . Joana knows Helen from the musical world. A few years back, Joana became a goldsmith, and began producing award-winning designs. While she currently has left jewelry design behind (we hope temporarily!) she has become quite a sophisticated fashion illustrator, and she sells her fun drawings as prints and cards here .

What else? During the summer, a young woman blogger in LA emailed Helen, asking to review some of her work. Helen sent Christine a few things, and Christine took some wonderful photos. The full review isn't up yet, but the sneak peak is here .

I can't leave you without posting some kanzashi pictures, however. Helen is selling her kanzashi necklaces at her neighbor Terry's store (one of them already sold!!!) and Helen took a few photos, luckily. What have we got?

Here's a little number in dupioni silk with a pink jade bead...

....another dupioni one with carnelian....

....and a couple in kimono silk from Helen's kanzashi fairy godmother in Japan; this Christmas-y one with yellow jade....

...and this salmon shades one with a sort of off-color carnelian bead....

Next: Helen made a kanzashi bobby pin in chiffon that she would love to show you. She's going to make another one in the same design, only a little smaller. Sorry, you're going to have to wait.

New Necklaces

Sorry for such a hasty post! We've been pretty busy, but I wanted to just check in. Helen's experience at the dog walk last month was just terrible. She and Kas sold exactly 2 items each, including the things they sold to each other! Most sellers were disappointed, but anyway, life goes on. There will be more shows, in fact, there's one tomorrow!

Helen's friend Angela invited her to share a tent at a block party on Milwaukee's East Side. This fair goes into the night-time hours, so Helen has been busily getting her lighting options together. And I thought I would just quickly show you a few of her new kanzashi necklaces that she'll be showing tomorrow.

First, there's a one-of-a-kind fall colors one, made from vintage kimono silk and carnelian...

...next is a pink dupioni silk flower with a glass bead. The petal shape here is Helen's invention...

Next is another one-of-a-kind item. Well, not completely, because Rebecca bought one just like it, but there's really no more fabric left, so it's sort of an exclusive. This one is vintage kimono silk with an onyx bead...

Also! Helen's neighbor Terry is a co-owner of Magpie Jewelry in Wauwatosa, WI. Terry loves Helen's kanzashi necklaces, and she is going to sell them at the store! Terry is very optimistic about them, which makes us happy. Helen is hoping to make a lot more of these.

OK, I gotta go. Helen is going to a party tonight, and has a special order to start from an Etsy customer. Later!

Kanzashi Fairy Godmother

Helen's first-ever outdoor selling event is less than a week away, and she's nervously trying to take care of details, but I wanted to tell you a fun little story of serendipitous luck which has already resulted in some lovely new kanzashi pieces!

Helen's friend Kas has a Japanese-Polish cousin who lived for a while in Japan.  Kas's cousin has a Japanese friend whose son attended an English language program in Madison, WI. Every weekend, he would come to stay with Kas and her husband, and do normal American family type things with them. Eternally grateful, Kas's cousin's Japanese friend has been sending Kas lavish gifts for years. Well as it turns out, the lady makes kimonos.

One day, Kas casually asked Helen if she would like some more fabric for making kanzashi, explaining that she has a Japanese friend who might have some of the stuff to send. Helen said sure. Then they both forgot all about it.

Until about 3 weeks ago, when a beautiful box stuffed with primo kimono remnants arrived in the mail. Gorgeous, colorful chirimen silk, silk linings, cotton remnants, obi scraps, silk that Helen doesn't know what to call or how to describe. Fabric that Helen can use and fabric that she's giving away to her friend Angela. For a kanzashi maker, this is like dying and going to heaven.

Just to show you how crazy beautiful some of these Japanese textiles are, I made Helen take some pictures. First, here's a remnant that Helen couldn't bear to cut up....it's going to Angela....

Photos cannot do it justice. At least, not Helen's photos. Similarly, here's a gorgeous piece that Helen also hates to cut up, but might anyway.....a big pattern with beautiful flowers. Here's a detail...

So. Helen wanted more colorful silk for making pendants,and that is what she received. Here are only the first six long ribbon necklaces...

Buy them this Saturday, August 17th, at the Walk for the Animals, benefiting the Washington County Humane Society here in Wisconsin. We'll be at Jackson Park, in the village of Jackson. All day.

There are so many more possibilities in that box full of fabric, so carefully packed by its sender. It's a silk candy store. Helen is so grateful to her kanzashi fairy godmother, somewhere in Japan, and planning on including a pendant for her in the next care package that Kas sends.

Dog and Pony Show

First, I'd like to say thank you to all the people who have been inquiring about my health. I'm gaining weight and I have much more energy for playing than say, a year ago. Also, during a recent summer cold snap, a mouse came and visited us. I had a blast with this mouse at about 4:00 in the morning, sometime last week! Helen thought something in the house had fallen down. We were having so much fun and making such a ruckus  that I didn't eat him/her (not sure) until the next day, when Helen encountered the mouse, screeched, woke me from my nap, and carried me to where the somewhat worn-out mouse was hanging out. We had a little more fun and then a snack. I had the snack.

OK so, Helen was recently invited to sell her wares at something called the "Walk for the Animals", an event benefiting the Washington County Humane Society here in Wisconsin. I think that's all wonderful, except that you know who's going to be walking....a bunch of dogs. And worse still, Helen has been making kanzashi for......dogs. Seriously, I don't know what to say. She's making brightly colored cotton flowers on ponytail elastics to attach to dog collars....or wear with your ponytail. She is making fabric flower centers using her styrofoam molds....something she figured out a number of blog posts ago. Very useful, because once they're glued, you have to work hard to pull them off! Even a dog would have problems losing these flower centers. OK, let's look at a few of her favorites.

The challenge of designing these seems to be in figuring out which fabric will do which petal shape without getting squashed by, you know, a dog rolling around on the ground, or something. Also, since Helen doesn't want to spend a lot of time on each one, she has limited herself to 6 petals per flower. Here's a delicate little number in a pale pink dotted Swiss....

...which can be purchased here . And here's a fun floral cotton that J9 gave to Helen...

...buy it here...A different sort of shape made from the last of a beloved cotton print....

....a one-of-a-kind item you can buy here if you can't wait for the show in a couple weeks. And here's a group of other lighthearted, happy-go-lucky things, perfect for dogs....

Note the solid colored black and white flowers; these are dupioni silk, for formal occasions, like weddings. In fact, Helen came up with a way to make kanzashi "bow-ties" also to attach to ponytail elastics, especially for very masculine dogs' formal occasions...

It has been a fun project, and less time-consuming than other kanzashi perhaps, but still pretty time-consuming. Helen is thinking about duplicating some of her favorite designs, but at least she doesn't have to spend time experimenting anymore. Until the next exciting new, fun fabric turns up, that is to say.

So, if you are anywhere close to Jackson, Wisconsin on August 17, 2013, come walk in Jackson Park with whatever pets you have that like to walk (I'm not going anywhere near the place) to support the Humane Society and to see Helen's dog flowers (also lots of other fabric flower accessories for humans)!

Kanzashi Bracelets, Part Deux

So, a couple posts ago, Helen was unsure about a bracelet she had just made. She sort of liked it, but thought it looked an awful lot like a hair scrunchy. She asked for feedback from her millions of loyal readers. Helen's pal Joana agreed that it looked like a scrunchy that hadn't quite made it to the ponytail......Helen had been dwelling in Unsuccessful Design Land. Joana suggested checking out some cuff bracelets.

After flirting with the idea of a variety of materials, Helen checked out the lace cuff bracelets that can be found on Etsy. There are many beautiful ones.....some of simple tatted lace, some shabby chic ones using a few different lace fragments, some with button closures, ribbon closures, chain closures....lots of beautiful things. None with kanzashi.

So, after lots of tries, Helen came up with something we think is sort of sexy. It is a simple lace cuff with a kanzashi flower and some tiny leaves, with a ribbon closure. Here are some pix:

Thanks to Helen's friend Rebecca for modeling! The flower is a blush pink satin, the leaves are a pale green moire, and there's a vintage faux pearl sewn into the center. Here's the back....

An organdy ribbon is strung through two handsewn buttonholes....take a look at the Etsy listing here for larger, clearer photos. Also if you want to buy it!

We think this cuff is nice for bridal occasions, but also for dressy summer events, like your next garden party. You go to garden parties, right? Rebecca asked for one with a black flower, and Helen is thinking about making one from black lace for the Goth kids. Goth girls wearing kanzashi....that would be something, wouldn't it?

So anyway, here are a few more bracelet ideas that other kanzashi makers have come up with. First, one of our favorite kanzashi artists, Polished Kanzashi on Etsy has this beautiful chirimen silk assemblage on a metal wristband....

Here's a less formal one; a colorful, cute flower with a button center on an elastic band from Keating Kreations on Etsy.....

...and here's a lovely green plum blossom on an adjustable band, that can double as a headband or choker from Magpie Creations ......

So, those are the bracelets I found to show you. In the kanzashi world, there aren't many of them yet, it seems. Helen likes her new design, and unlike the last one, is willing to put the time into making more of them.