| Kanzashi flowers are those beautiful
fabric flowers associated with traditional Japanese hairstyles,
especially those of geishas. They are not hard to make, and
can be used to adorn more than hair decorations; they are
also a great way of using up oddments of fabric.
This book, translated from the French shows you how to make
both the styles with just fabric, and those using the plastic
Clover Flower Makers. There are sixteen different flowers
to choose from, plus the more Western yoyo (aka Suffolk puff),
rosette and padded "pumpkin" shape reminiscent of
pincushions. Each flower has a series of captioned diagrams
that are well laid out on the page but would be even better
if they were all in a dark line color rather than red, pink
or orange. There is a handy gallery of all the finished types,
and then it is on with the projects. All these are illustrated
with large photographs, often giving more than one view of
the finished piece and separate parts. The print is quite
small, and instructions don't always feature staged diagrams
so some sewing experience is essential for the more challenging
projects. You won't find any Japanese style hair decorations
in here and the hanging "falls" are omitted, but
instead there are many ingenious ways of using the flowers
to decorate all kinds of other things. These are beautiful
and unusual - water lily table decorations, lots of jewelry,
Christmas decorations, Peter Pan collar with flower and a
crafter's bag to name some. If you have always wanted to make
your own kanzashi this is the place to discover how, and also
how they fit into modern Western life.
If you cannot find a good range of fabric and Clover Flower
Makers locally try www.searchpress.com
for a list of supplies.
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