Making marshmallow marshmallows

Japanese handicraft technologies are becoming more and more popular, and today kanzashi is on the agenda. They are hairstyling decorations that are worn with a traditional outfit, while this decor element has a rich history and a “respectable” age.

Young unmarried girls wore a lot of kanzashi in their hair, power ladies - no more than 2. At the same time, decorations were selected not only in the tone of kimono, but even according to the month and the class to which the girl belonged. Of all the ideas of kanzashi, the most simple in independent execution is a marshmallow, or a flower.

Selection of materials and tools for kanzashi

If you follow the Japanese tradition, then the choice of the fabric from which kanzashi is created must be approached with all the responsibility: it should be natural and fairly smooth. Silk is perfect, but the cost of the material does not always allow it to be used for needlework by beginners, so for training it’s better to look at crepe-satin, an organ of medium hardness. But the most successful option professionals call satin ribbons, which already have a suitable width, as well as processed edges. It will be enough to burn the place of the cut, so that the atlas does not crumble, and you can not be afraid for the safety of crafts.

Finishing ready kanzashi can be made with any decorative elements: from beads and glass beads, to small stones, sequins. But here it is important to understand that the kanzashi themselves are very small, and the excess décor overloads them, making them absolute bad taste. Moreover, kanzashi are usually made as an independent decoration of other things.

As for the tools, there is enough needles and threads: the thinnest ones in your arsenal. It is desirable to have a thread transparent (it is called a very thin fishing line), or in tone with the main satin ribbon.

Kanzashi marshmallows: a master class for beginners

In order to try your hand at making kanzashi, you will need a satin ribbon with a width of 25 mm, as well as matches for firing, scissors, a needle and a thread. It is better to take 2 tapes, different ones can be, the length of each should be 1.5 m. Professionals advise to choose contrasting colors: then the finished marshmallow will look volumetric and “lively”.

• Fold the ribbons "face" to each other so that their ends coincide, and set them on the same (!) Side together. This technique will allow you to make 2 segments of 1, but two-color. Fold out the ribbons, gently stretch horizontally and smooth the firing point while it is still hot and ductile.
• Re-fold the ribbons, position them so that the junction is to the right, move away from it 50-55 mm and bend this section down, perpendicular to the main line of the ribbon. The internal angle should be 90 degrees: the outside will have a perfect diagonal. Now the same part needs to be bent to the left so that the inner corner is preserved, and the outer one becomes similar to it, but larger.

• The lower segment, the length of which was originally 50-55 mm, bend upwards from behind: it should lie clearly under the tape, without looking out from under it. The resulting corner must be fixed by sewing it with several stitches with a single thread. Be sure to grab the tip of the back piece.
• Now again the attention of the working left part of the tape: put it through the diagonal fold down, so that it takes a vertical position, and again bend, but this time to direct upwards. Then again bend diagonally, but deferring to the right, and finally stretch back to the left between the "petals". This area is clearly visible on the photo of the marshmallow kanzashi. This position of the tape is also necessary to fix the stitches.

• Further actions are absolutely similar to the previous step: they will be repeated at least 20 times if you need a magnificent marshmallow. In general, the number of repetitions depends on the length of the tape. Each "petal" requires fixation, but the thread must always remain in the center of the future flower, so as not to interfere with its opening. With the help of the same thread, the extreme petals are combined, after which the residual segment and the last petal are glued.

For a better understanding of the technology, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the video on kanzashi marshmallows: this will allow you to track the position of the hands and the direction of the stitches that need visualization.

Ready-made marshmallows are rarely an independent element and rarely created alone: ​​they are mostly popular with young girls. Single copies can be attached to a hairpin, hairpin or elastic band to decorate the hair. If there are more than 2-3 pieces, they can be seated on the bezel or bandage.