Hand-made jewelry always looks interesting and unusual. You can please yourself, your friends, acquaintances with them, and over time, your passion for handicrafts can easily turn into a source of good income. One of the favorite products of craftswomen is kanzashi rubber bands made from ribbons. It is not difficult to create such jewelry, and numerous master classes will help even a beginner to cope with the work.
Materials and tools
To create exclusive kanzashi bows on an elastic band, satin, rep, chiffon ribbons of different widths (from 1 to 10 cm, depending on the desired size of the finished product) are used. The basis is a circle cut out of thick felt, to which an elastic band, bow, flower are attached with hot glue or sewn. By selecting the appropriate fittings, kanzashi elements are used for a variety of decorations. For production, you may need:
- headbands;
- bases for earrings, brooches;
- clasps for necklaces, bracelets;
- rubber bands;
- bandages;
- hairpins.
Each master class requires its own tools, but the basic set includes tweezers, scissors, hot glue, thin pins for creating blanks, petals, buds.
To prevent the edges of the ribbons from fraying, they are singed with a candle, lighter or match. The material melts well, the cut is neatly set.
To fasten the parts, a hot glue gun is most often used. It is more convenient than regular super glue. To connect very small parts, glue is applied pointwise using a toothpick. To protect the product from dirt, hairspray is used at the last stage, spraying it at a distance of 25-30 cm from the decoration.
Kanzashi hairpins are most often decorated with beads, sequins, and rhinestones. Cords, braid, and beads are also used for decoration. The latter elements are the most popular, as they are the core of the fabric flower.
Basic techniques for creating petals and leaves
A regular sharp petal of a kanzashi flower is made from a square piece of ribbon. It is folded in half diagonally. The procedure is repeated again with the resulting triangle. The tail and base are cut off, the edges are singe.
Rubber bands in the kanzashi technique are made from different petals. For lush flowers, volumetric elements are appropriate. Take a square piece of tape, fold it in half horizontally. Fold each side in half twice more. Cut the edge at an angle of 45° and process it with flame. Make two folds on the opposite side, hold it with tweezers, and run flame along the edge.
To create a flat petal, you will also need a square of tape. Fold it in half diagonally, then again. Holding it with tweezers, pull the sharp bottom edge to the base. Cut off the tip and solder.
Kanzashi hairpins with roses are made from other petals. You will need a piece of ribbon 2.5 x 6 cm. Two adjacent corners are bent down, aligned with the edge, and sealed. Additionally, the edges are bent and scorched with fire. For a small rose, you will need 12 petals.
Leaves will help to diversify the composition. A piece of green ribbon is turned inside out. The left side is folded 90° and the right edge is placed on top. Cut off, form two folds at the base, fix, singe with fire. The size of the leaf depends on the length of the ribbon.
Hair bands can be made from bows. You will need a candle, ribbons, cardboard, glue, scissors and decor for the central part. Here are the instructions:
- A U-shaped template is made from cardboard (it is needed for the convenience of forming the bow). The ribbon is inserted and wrapped three times, secured with a paper clip.
- Sew the future bow in the middle and pull it together carefully.
- Two bows made of red ribbons are attached crosswise in the center and secured with a beautiful bead.
The template can be used to create a brooch, a hair clip, a headband, a hair band. Bows and kanzashi flowers can be both the central element and part of the overall composition. Two identical bows on elastic bands look good.
How to create a beautiful kanzashi composition
Every beginner needlewoman can create a bow or a flower from ribbons with her own hands. It is not recommended to sew the blank, the work will be rough. All petals are sealed with a candle, lighter or connected with high-quality transparent glue, which is used in small quantities so that it is not noticeable.
The finished product is decorated with floral wire, stamens, rhinestones, stones, beads, butterfly and ladybug figures. Excessive decor can spoil the appearance, the elastic will look tasteless. You need to know when to stop.
The simplest and most popular kanzashi composition made from satin ribbons consists of three medium-sized flowers, one large one and several small ones. It is diluted with leaves of different shades and shapes. Only an unsuccessful color combination can spoil such decoration.
It is not recommended to use more than three shades in one kanzashi composition. When selecting ribbons, it is better to look at examples of ready-made color combinations.
A fancy bow
Making kanzashi with your own hands is a pleasure. Making one item takes no more than an hour, and the result is an impressive decoration. For a smart bow you will need ribbons, braid, beads, seed beads, rhinestones, felt. Work is carried out according to the instructions:
- The translucent yellow lace and the thick red ribbon are cut and placed one on top of the other. The edges are singed with fire.
- Having received 6 strips, fold each one in half, form two folds at the base, and seal.
- For the lower part of the bow, take four of the resulting petals, for the upper part - two. Connect them, fix with a red ribbon.
- Thin yellow fabric is cut, folded into loops, sewn or glued to the base.
- Take a felt square. Sew a large bead or crystal in the center, small rhinestones around it, then a circle of larger pearl beads. Sew strips of beads between the last elements. Cut off the excess felt. You get a round decoration for the middle of the bow.
- Connect all the parts together. The large base of the bow, then the felt circle with loops of yellow narrow ribbon and the central part.
To finish the work, glue a felt base, a hair clip or an elastic band to the bottom. A luxurious elegant bow does not require additional decoration. The product can be made in a variety of colors.
Elegant flower
An elegant satin flower can be placed on a hair clip, elastic band or headband. To make it, you will need ribbons, a small transparent crystal, bead huggers, a felt base, bias binding, a clip. Following the instructions for beginners, you can make a beautiful product:
- Each square of blue, white and gold brocade ribbon is folded in four, placed one on top of the other and bent to form a petal.
- Cut off the bottom part, singe the edge. Repeat the procedure for 7 elements. Fasten them with thread or glue.
- Take white and gold brocade squares. Fold in four to form triangles. Place one on top of the other, fold into a petal. Repeat for 7 elements.
- The crystal is inserted into the hugger and glued to the center of a large flower, to which all the petals are already attached.
The base is made of thick felt, with bias tape threaded through it. This way the decoration will be removable. It will be suitable as a blank for a hair clip, headband, or hairpin.
How to attach decorations to the base
Ready-made bows and kanzashi flowers made of ribbons can become part of an elastic band or hair clip. Attaching the workpiece with glue is impractical and unsightly. Fastening with a ribbon looks much neater, for this:
- Cut a circle out of felt and make two small cuts in the center.
- Glue the elastic band between the resulting holes.
- Insert the ribbon, wrap it around the elastic band, and pull it out through the second hole.
- Glue the ends from the inside.
You can make no cuts on the felt circle, but attach the elastic band with a strip on top. A flower or a bow is attached to the resulting blank. You can create a universal fastening. You will need two pieces of elastic, a felt base. The last element can be round or rectangular. Make four cuts on it. Insert the elastic bands into the resulting holes, glue the ends from the inside. Such a blank is suitable for fastening on a headband, a hair clip.
Useful tips for beginners
Real kanzashi decorations in Japan are made from natural silk. Budget options are quite suitable for beginner needlewomen: satin and rep ribbons, lace, braid, brocade. These materials produce even squares, which is essential when creating ideal petals.
To prevent the material from crumbling, the edges are scorched with a flame. A candle or a lighter will do. You can use a soldering iron with a thin tip. Before melting the edge, the tip is cut off. Then the flame will fuse the material and prevent the petal from falling apart.
Inexperienced craftswomen are advised to begin mastering kanzashi with simple flowers with sharp petals. Bows can consist of the same elements. With practice, the needlewoman will be able to create leaves, roses, lilies with curls inside, combine several translucent ribbons to obtain interesting shades. The size of the element should be such as to cover the base of the hair clip, elastic band, hairpin.
A step-by-step master class will allow every craftswoman to try herself in the art of kanzashi. The materials are available, they can be purchased at any store of goods for handicrafts. It is enough to practice a little and you can start to implement complex forms. An unusual hair clip made in the kanzashi technique will be a great gift for a girl of any age.
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