Methods for making kanzashi from rep ribbon

Japanese jewelry has always attracted with its mystery and uniqueness. Fancy patterns, bows, flowers in hair and a huge variety of colorful ribbons combined with traditional clothing make our idea of ​​the culture and life of Japan even more interesting. In this article, we will talk about this type of decoration as kanzashi, and more specifically, about this traditional decoration made from available materials, for example, from rep ribbon.

Kanzashi, or, if we speak as true Japanese - "kanzashi", appeared in the 17th century in the form of jewelry made from different materials. These were hairpins or combs, usually made from precious woods. However, to emphasize the status of the person, they could be made of expensive metals. Due to the inaccessibility of these materials for an ordinary person, needlewomen from different countries began to make them from simpler things - reps, beads or rhinestones.

A rep ribbon is a narrow ribbon made of polyester yarns and rep fabric, with ribs that distinguish it from other types. The tape has an edge along the edges, which allows you to preserve the desired shape and rigidity. The width of the belts is from 5 mm to 50 mm. Finding them is not so difficult, it is enough to visit any store for handicrafts or fabrics. The peculiarities of the production of this type of fabric form an unusual relief, and by increasing the density and the number of fibers in the base, make it even more distinct.

Reps fabric is characterized by the following properties:

• strength and durability;
• moisture transmission and retention (hygroscopicity);
• air transmission;
• rigidity and shape retention.

Reps tape is selected according to these parameters.

1. Width. Manufacturers offer tapes from 5 mm to 50 mm, but craftsmen choose a narrow range of sizes, from 25 to 40 millimeters.
2. Drawing. Reps ribbons come in the so-called perforated structure, they have patterns similar to lace.
3. Colour. The variety of color palettes makes ribbon selection a real adventure. You can find a variety of colors - from solid and regular to printed patterns.
4. Rigidity. According to the type of shape retention, rep ribbons are divided into three types: soft, medium, hard. Soft ones are used mainly to decorate books and photo albums, while the harder ones are used to create kanzashi ornaments and to be worn on clothes.

Let's move on to the manufacturing process.

1. Reps tape 25 mm and 40 mm in the amount of 2 pieces of different colors, it is desirable that they match each other.
2. Beads, artificial branches with stamens.
3. Metal clamps.
4. Mugs made of felt and 35 mm in diameter.
5. A thread with a needle, a glue gun (very convenient) or regular glue, tweezers, a candle and a pen.

A large number of master classes (MK) on making kanzashi can be found on the Internet. But actions are not clearly and clearly described everywhere. Each step is detailed below, which is great for beginners. There are many types of colored ribbon kanzashi, but the manufacturing process is roughly the same. The basis of kanzashi is a flower.

1. Mark a narrow ribbon for the required number of petals, 8 or 10 cm in size.Leaves will be made from a wide ribbon, 4 in each flower, cut the ribbon into small pieces of 5 cm.
2. The formation of petals and leaves will occur through folding the prepared segments in half, as well as joining the left and right corners together. Then we connect the other end in the same way, then we take the lowest corner and fasten it with the upper right one. The last bend will be in the place where the segment folded in half, it must be made 5 mm larger than the upper corner.
3. Cut off the pieces that are no longer needed, singe the edges with a candle and use glue to fasten the sections.
4. Pull out the tip of the petal by 2-3 mm and press it with tweezers, solder the resulting clamp with a candle.
5. We thread a thread through all the kanzashi petals and carefully, not tightly, pull it into a flower. In the center of the flower we glue a stamen or decoration that was conceived (you can embroider beads). Then glue all the petals on the back side.
6. In the same way, we make petals of a simpler shape and glue them to the clip, if the kanzashi will be used as a hairpin.

Kanzashi rubber bands are very often used in everyday life. All jewelry consists of bows or petals, they are attached to a felt mug with a pre-attached elastic band. For splendor, you can add an openwork ribbon.

1. Prepare 4 strips of the same length and 25 mm thickness.
2. Solder the ends of the ribbons together (if there is a pattern, then one ribbon is regular, the other with a pattern).
3. Fold the resulting fabric in the shape of an English letter V and secure in the middle with a needle.
4. In a place secured with a needle, fold the kanzashi petal so that both ends of the ribbon are at a 90-degree angle to each other.
5. Bend the upper part away from you.
6. Lower the right side away from you and fasten it to the top with a needle.
7. Bend the left side of the tape towards you and also fasten it to the rest of the craft with a needle.
8. Do the same with the other tape.
9. Fasten both resulting pieces with a thread and pull tight, secure. Glue the gum on the underside with a glue gun.
10. For the strength of the structure, you can fasten it in the middle with a tape with a width of 5 mm to 10 mm.
11. On the opposite side of the elastic, make a pattern of beads or some other material.

Hone your skills in the kanzashi style will allow you to create more and more varied jewelry.

With a little practice, start creating roses and hydrangeas, headbands, and small hair jewelry. Try to diversify crafts with different colors and new ideas, create decorations from several types of ribbons, the possibilities of crafts from a rep ribbon are not limited.

How to make a hair clip from a rep ribbon using the kazansha technique, see below.