Tsumami Kanzashi Flower Hair Clip

I have recently discovered these beautiful folded flowers, and I absolutely cannot stop making them. Tsumami Kanzashi are traditional Japanese folded flowers, made from small squares of silk, that are typically worn by women as hair ornaments in traditional hairstyles.

They seem really complicated and intricate, and they can certainly be that if you really want; but it completely doesn't need to be! I love to make them out of cotton prints that are fun and bright, in addition to scraps of silk and other light fabrics.

These can be used in countless applications. In this tutorial, I'm making one attached to a hair clip, but you could add them onto headbands, combs, brooches, necklaces... the list could go on.

There are a few tutorials out there on the internet, but to find a good variety in petal shapes can certainly be difficult, you just have to keep looking, and just grab a square of fabric and just test stuff out. I am by no means an expert, I can guarantee that, but I have spent more than a few hours testing out different shapes and ways to fold, and this instructable is for a more pointed petal shape.

Step 1: Supplies

• Fabric (in this case, an ivory silk dupioni)
• Ruler
• Scissors/Rotary cutter
• Pins
• Needle & Thread
• Fray Check
• E-6000 adhesive (you could, I suppose, use hot glue, but it's a pain to use, I think, and it doesn't dry clear. And it isn't nearly as sturdy)
• Button (I used a covered button, but funky vintage buttons are great, too)
• Alligator Hair Clip
• Beads and other pretties to decorate with (if you so choose)

Comments

[katvanlew]

This is such a great idea! I made one to put on a hat and it turned out really cute! (If I do say so myself...)

[vdat]

very nice!!!!

[vdat]

Thank you for sharing. I will try this

[vaishnavin2203]

oh..this is so lovely! i am going to try this with a different button to add some pizzaz!!!

[zurichko]

Yup, I'm addicted. Here's some I made today.

[rperkins1]

Wow... certainly does look easy... would you be able to do these with fleece, or would this not work? I have tons of fleece squares that we cut out the corners for fleece blankets...

[abbyholverson]

I'm not sure fleece would be the best, pretty much since it's so thick. But I think that since fleece doesn't fray at all, you could probably cut petal shapes and just slightly gather the base of each petal as you stitch them together. That way you could make a cool flower without all of the bulk caused by folding.

[keallisf]

This was so easy just like you said. I changed out the button idea and made a clip for my hair.

[keallisf]

This is how it turned out!

[abbyholverson]

Very cool!!! Careful, it gets addicting... it used to be that I saved most of my fabric scraps, but now it's even worse... even if it's 1" across, I'll save it and fold it into something. :)

Thanks for posting a pic!!

[Eastexgal]

I wear hats to church. Don't have to, just love to! This would look so pretty on my hats so I can change them around. thanks for the detailed instructions and pictures. I will make some.

[Wrønska]

thanks :-)

[Wrønska]

3 1/2 squares? how many cm are this?

[abbyholverson]

It's just about 9 cm.

[marisolmaciel]

This is a great tut!!! :D
I've been looking for this for a long time!!!

I found these

http://littlelesiw.blogspot.com/

and I want to learn how to make the little daisy looking ones... but i am scared of asking because obviously i don't think she would tell me her technique being that she sells them.....
do you know where i could find a tut on these or what it's called???
Thank you!!!
xo

[abbyholverson]

ha ha ha... I sell them too, and am probably giving away way to many secrets as it is!!

The rounded flowers are all just a variation of the same basic idea. It's just a different variation of the tsumami kanzashi. You may just want to search that on youtube, that's how I've been able to figure out a lot of this stuff. Granted... most of it was in japanese... but it's pretty easy to see what they're doing!

Good luck!

(And if you want to buy some, you can always visit http://www.buttonsoneverything.com )

[SewWhat!!]

Thank you so much for this instructable! I've already made about a dozen of them!

[Cpt. Caleb]

Fantastic 'Ible. I liked it so much I made a few myself, along with a headband and sewed them together for my 6 year old little sister. Thanks for the Inspiration:
>

[abbyholverson]

That's awesome, great job!

[iamaqtpoo]

OMG your great, I really didn't think this could be easy, great instructions!!!

[abbyholverson]

Thanks! It is super easy. It just took me a billion hours of internet searching to find real instructions. Glad I could make it simpler for everyone else!

[nic305]

This is awesome! Im making one this week!

[abbyholverson]

That's awesome, you should post a pic, I'd love to see it!

[janiemckissick]

Oh thanks for this ! I wondered how those were made !

[Criket]

(removed by author or community request)

[abbyholverson]

It involves adhesive, if you actually read it. Doesn't have to be gorilla, if you actually read the rules. Thanks for paying attention, dude!

[Una]

I think I am going to put velcro on the back and put onto a pair of shoes that have a bow falling off the toe. Might make a lot and make them interchangeable. Very pretty.

[abbyholverson]

I know you can find little clips meant just to put things onto shoes... that might be better than velcro. I'd just be afraid of loosing them if they were just velcro-ed on! Once you get used to making them they go together fairly quickly, but I still wouldn't want to loose one while walking down the street!

[Una]

Thanks I will keep a look out for those.

[princessdee222]

I think I might try gluing a headband to it.