Ideas for making snowflakes using the kanzashi technique

The beautiful kanzashi snowflakes have become a popular element of the winter holidays. Perhaps this is due to the versatility of the product - the snowflake will decorate the home interior, become part of the decoration of the congratulatory packaging, or even an element of the dress for the matinee. And the most attractive thing about it is that everyone can make a snowflake using the kanzashi technique with their own hands.

They make a beautiful volumetric snowflake from satin ribbons. But ribbons alone are not enough to get an elegant decoration.

You will have to prepare the following:

• a white satin ribbon 5 cm wide (only 2 m);
• a white satin ribbon 4 cm wide (1.1 m);
• a white satin ribbon 2.5 cm (0.4 m) wide;
• silver brocade 2 cm wide (only 2 m);
• blue half beads;
• golden thread;
• glue gun;
• tweezers;
• scissors and a needle and thread.

Some master classes additionally require several pieces of bias tape, beads, a felt base, and a small piece of silver splint. Certain moments of adjusting the product may occur to the author while making a snowflake. If you learn how to make a basic version, any experiments are welcome.

The work itself is built in several stages, items are prepared one at a time.

It is very convenient if the future product is used to decorate hair ties or stylish wrapping of New Year's gifts.

A master class for making snowflakes using the kanzashi technique is presented in several stages.

The first stage of work is the creation of triple sharp petals.

1. You need a tape 4 cm wide, from which one sharp petal is folded. With tweezers, you need to align the edges of the tape, tighten all the layers, fasten the tip without cutting it.
2. Now you need to fold 2 triangles - from satin and brocade ribbons. The central petal is wrapped in two ribbon triangles. It is necessary to trim all the layers of the tape, trim the tip and burn it with a lighter. Now the bottom of the petal can be cut off, the cut is also fired.
3. The first six petals are ready - you need to fasten them with a thread. The thread tightening should be tight. The thread has to be fastened. To make the snowflake-flower dense, the petals are additionally held together with glue.

The second stage of work is the manufacture of triple round petals.

1. Cuts of ribbons for round petals are taken the same as for sharp ones. The ribbon should be folded into triangles with the brocade ribbon in the middle. The element must be clamped with your fingers from the top in the middle.
2. The side edges are folded inward, the petal is folded, the edges are trimmed... The tip and bottom of the petal are connected, fixed. Place both bottom edges together.

The third stage of work is a twig with curls for a New Year's snowflake.

1. You need to cut 6 pieces of white tape 5 by 5 cm.
2. A sharp petal is forming: all layers of the tape are aligned at the base, the tip is fastened over the fire.
3. The petal is clamped with tweezers, cut off along the entire length. The place of the cut is held together over the fire.
4. To make a curl, you need to warm up the cut by holding it on the opposite side. Curls can be dense or airy.
5. If suddenly the curl is twisted badly, it needs to be straightened, heated over the fire and twisted again.
6. For one branch of a snowflake, you need 2 simple curls that look in different directions. The brocade ribbon should be cut into 2, 5 by 2, 5 cm squares. Small sharp petals are made from the squares. The tips are scalded over the fire. For each branch, you need to make 7 petals.

The fourth stage of work is the formation of a twig.

1. You need to glue 2 petals, between which 1 brocade petal is inserted. Next, you need to take 1 more satin petal.
2. Each satin petal is glued to 3 small brocade - one on the side of the curl, the other on the opposite.
3. The curls are connected with hot melt glue.
4. Two satin curls need to be held together with glue.
5. They are glued to the bottom of the branch. The branch is ready, in total you need to make 7 pieces.

The fifth stage of work is collecting snowflakes.

1. Round petals need to be glued between the flower petals. They are glued inside the round triple petals.
2. Twigs are glued to the petals with a glue gun.
3. The snowflake flower needs to be decorated; beads fixed in the core are suitable for decoration.
4. A golden thread should be passed through one petal, fixing it with a bow made of transparent or thin tape.
5. Now you need to glue the half beads. The area where the curls meet will be hidden under the blue semi-beads.

This is how even beginners, completely inexperienced needlewomen can make an elegant snowflake with their own hands. She can decorate a hairpin, brooch. A complete snowflake crown can be made from several of these products.

In another version of making a decorative item, inside the snowflake there will be a large stone surrounded by beads in several rows.

The more people are addicted to kanzashi, the more new ideas they have.

So, you can decorate a snowflake using the kanzashi technique:

• inserts from shiny foamiran;
• classic New Year's tinsel (only you need to take a high-quality one, denser);
• rhinestones;
• red beads imitating scarlet winter berries;
• knitted openwork fragments;
• silver threads that hold their shape well if sprinkled with hairspray.

And these options are far from all the possibilities to improve the snowflake.

Kanzashi is a Japanese technique that allows you to make a real work of art from ribbons.

Beginners will need some tips.

• You need to start working from lightweight fabrics, simple and inexpensive. It will not be so sorry for the marriage and the fragments that did not work out.
• Round petals are more convenient to make not from satin, but from silk. Of course, this is an expensive material, but it folds more gracefully.
• It makes sense to make the first products dark fabric, since light-colored material tends to darken when cauterized. And since there may not be due care and accuracy in the first works, it is better to insure yourself with specially selected dark material.
• Making sharp petals you need to bend them to one side, otherwise the feeling of a living flower will not work.

Finally, about what to make these beautiful flowers and snowflakes for. There may be more ideas about the possible use of cute products than meets the eye.

You can use kanzashi snowflakes in different ways.

• As blanks for hanging over the bed. The stationary base with changing hanging elements above the bed in the bedroom now looks very fashionable and really interesting in the interior. A stationary base can be a branch, dried and painted, on which, depending on the season, holiday, mood, various decorative elements are hung - cones, photographs, paper hearts and, finally, kanzashi snowflakes.
• As an element of a wedding hair band. If you use natural silk, beautiful shiny materials, rhinestones, you can become the author of your own wedding decoration. Such a headband will be exclusive, and pride from handicraft success will suit any bride.
• As a decorative part of a curtain clip. Curtains, when they need to be assembled, should not be impersonally fastened with a special element. This wrapping element needs to be decorated with something. If the owners are not against seasonal decor, then in winter such kanzash snowflakes can decorate the curtains.
• Like snowflakes on the branches... If you want less store-bought New Year's decor, and more of your own, you can simply collect branches of a suitable length on the street, dry them, paint them white. Pour coarse salt or decorative sand into a beautiful transparent vase, put branches there. And hang snowflakes from ribbons on these branches. On the windowsill, on the coffee table, on the console in the hallway, such a cute decor would be very appropriate.
• As a "paper clip" for a New Year's bouquet. New Year's bouquets have already become, if not a traditional gift element, then a pleasant winter compliment to a woman. They use spruce and pine branches, artificial snow, tangerines, sweets and other elements of festive paraphernalia. In the place where the packaging of the bouquet is tied, you can plant a kanzashi-snowflake like a "paper clip" or a bouquet brooch. An elegant solution!

New Year's snowflake made of fabric and satin ribbons in the kanzashi style in the video below.