Category: Tsumami Zaiku

Making Asagao (Japanese Morning Glory) with Tsumami-zaiku

Published on by Haruka WilleyLeave a comment

You can find Asagao, the Japanese morning glory, in almost all colors, but it is usually blue, purple, or pink. So today I would like to make a simple blue Asagao tsumami zaiku flower with white stripes.

You’ll be learning new techniques this time! The first is making a corn-shaped base, and the next is turning petals inside out. They may be a little bit hard at first, but don’t worry! You can do it!

You will need:

  • five 1.5 (3.8 cm) inch blue cloth squares 
  • five 1 (2.5 cm) inch white cloth squares 
  • one 1 (2.5 cm) inch round thick paper disc
  • one 1.5 (3.8 cm) inch white cloth square 
  • decorations for the center (see my examples!)
  • glue
  • tweezers
  • wet towel to clean your finger

How to make:

1.Make a base.

a. Slit the paper disc halfway and glue about ¼ of it.

b. Put some glue on the convex side and put 1.5 inch white cloth on.

c. Cut off the excess cloth and glue the cloth inside (concave side).

2. Make 5 petals with blue cloths using Maru-tsumami.

3. Make 5 petals with white cloths using Ken-tsumami.

4. Cut the bottom parts of white petals.

5. Turn the blue petals inside out.

6. Put glue on the disc and place your blue petals evenly.

7. Put some glue on the bottom of your white petals and place them between the blue petals.

8. Put some glue on the sides of blue petals and glue them together with the white petals between each other.

9. Let the glue dry.

10. Put some decorations on the center if you like.

11. Done!

Bonus: Making a Asagao leaf

You will need:

  • one 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) green cloth square
  • two 1 inch (2.5 cm) green cloth squares
  • glue
  • tweezers
  • wet towel to clean your finger

How to make:

1.Make Maru-tsumami with the 1.5 and 1 inch cloths.

2. Put some glue on the side of the peak of the 1.5 inch Maru-tsumami and stick 1 inch Maru-tsumami on each side.

3. Let the glue dry.

4. Done!

Asagao, Japanese Morning Glory

Published on by Haruka WilleyLeave a comment

One of the most popular summer flowers in Japan is Asagao,  the Japanese morning glory. We write it with the characters “morning” and “face.” Just like in English, it was named because it only flowers in the morning.

It was brought to Japan around 1200 years ago by Japanese ambassadors returning from China. It was actually cultivated because of its seeds, which were used for medicinal purposes. But because Asagao starts blooming around the Tanabata season, people grew to love the flower itself because of its relation to the star festival’s legend. 

Its Chinese name is “Kengyu,” another name for Hikoboshi, the cattle herder from the Tanabata story. Since “Kengyu” means pulling a cow, and the seed was very valuable as a medicine at that time, a person who was sent the seed visited the sender’s place to thank them by pulling a cow. 

Photo by Julissa Helmuth on Pexels.com

In the Edo era,  people started calling the flower “Asagao Hime” and associated it with Orihime, the weaver from the Tanabata legend. People started thinking that Orihime and Hikoboshi could see each other if the flower bloomed, so the flower became a bringer of good fortune. It became so widely grown that by the end of the Edo era, people had cultivated more than 1,200 breeds. 

Since it’s very easy to grow, modern day Japanese students often grow it for a science project in school—myself included! And since it’s very resilient to the heat, some people grow it like a curtain during summer for shade. Its leaves absorb so much heat that it makes it as cool as standing in the shadow of a tree.

I would like to share “How to Make the  Asagao Flower” in my next post, so see you soon!

Making a Hanabi-like Flowers “Peony” with Tsumami-zaiku

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Have you tried making “chrysanthemum” flowers with Tsumami-zaiku? Today I would like to share how to make “peony” flowers. I’m going to use orange and yellow colors again like last time. But you should use whatever your favorites are. Pick 2 or 3 colors that you think will make your hanabi flowers beautiful!

My blog about “Hanabi, Fireworks” link is here!

Peony

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

You will need:

  • eight 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) orange square cloths
  • eight 1 inch (2.5 cm) white square cloths
  • eight 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) yellow square cloths
  • one 1 inch round thick paper disc
  • glue
  • tweezers
  • wet towels to clean your finger



How to make:

1. Make 8 petals of each size of cloth with Maru-tsumami.

2. Put glue on the paper disc and glue on the 0.75 inch square cloth petals evenly.

3. Put the 1 inch petals between the 0.75 inch petals.

4. Put some glue on the 1.5 inch petals’ peak side and slide them between the 1 inch petals.

5. Reshape the flower before the glue dries completely.

6. Put a little glue on the side of 1.5 inch petals and glue them next to each other. 

7. Let glue dry

8. Put some decorations with glue on the center.

9. Done!

Making Hanabi-like Flowers “Chrysanthemums” with Tsumami-zaiku

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In my last post I wrote about how Japanese hanabi (fireworks) are often described as chrysanthemums and peonies. So today I would like to show you how to use a chrysanthemum and peony pattern to make hanabi-like flowers. I love traditional orange and yellow Japanese hanabi, so I’m going to use those colors. But I think you should use whatever your favorites are. (Also, using 2 or 3 colors makes hanabi flowers beautiful!)

Chrysanthemums

Photo by Bud Jenkins on Pexels.com

You will need:

  • ten 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) yellow square cloths
  • ten 1 inch (2.5 cm) white square cloths
  • ten 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) orange square cloths
  • one 1 inch round thick paper disc
  • glue
  • tweezers
  • wet towels to clean your finger

How to make:

1. Make 10 petals of each size of cloth with Ken-tsumami.

2. Put glue on the paper disc and glue on the 0.75 inch square cloth petals evenly.

3. Put the 1 inch petals between the 0.75 inch petals.

4. Put some glue on the 1.5 inch petals’ peak side and slide them between the 1 inch petals.

5. Reshape the flower before the glue dries completely.

6. Let glue dry.

7. Put some decorations with glue on the center.

8. Done!

Tanabata, the Star Festival

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Every July 7th is the Star Festival, called “Tanabata” in Japan. The original story came from China and arrived in Japan during the Nara era (710 – 794). 

The story is like this:

A long time ago, there was a girl named Orihime, a daughter of one of the gods and a very good weaver. Her father was searching for a husband for her, and found a boy  named Hikoboshi, a cattle herder. 

They fell in love and got married. However, they became lazy after the marriage and did not work at all. Orihime’s father became furious about their complacency and set each on either side of the Milky Way as punishment. The pair was heartbroken and wept constantly. Feeling compassion for them, Orihime’s father gave the couple permission to see each other once a year on July 7th at night. 

But, it is said that they cannot meet if it rains, so we always wish for no clouds in the sky. 

There is a Japanese tradition of making decorations and putting them on bamboo branches for Tanabata. People also write their wishes on colorful rectangle papers and set them on the bamboo along with the decorations. Because Orihime was good at weaving, people usually wish to become skilled at something.

Bamboo is important for Tanabata, so today I would like to share how to make bamboo leaves with Tsumami-zaiku. 

By the way, bamboo is a very important plant for Japanese culture in general, not just on (hopefully) starry holidays. It is a bringer of good luck, along with plum and pine plants. We use it with many things like crafts and tools. Bamboo shoots are also a seasonal food eaten in spring.

How to Make Bamboo Leaves

It is very easy!

You will need:

  • three 1 inch (2.5cm) square cloth (green)
  • one ¾ inch (1.9 cm) round paper disc (thick paper is better)
  • glue
  • tweezers (You don’t need tweezers, but it’s much easier with them)
  • wet paper towels for cleaning your fingers

How to make:

1.Make three leaves from the green 1 inch square cloths with Maru-tsumami. (“How to make Maru-tsumami” link here.)

2. Cut the round paper disc into quarters.

3. Glue the bottom of the leaves and place them on the quarter paper disc. This time, place the round side of the leaf up.

4. Reshape the flower before the glue dries.

5. Let it dry completely.

6. Done!

You can make it with two-fold Maru-tsumami too (“How to make twofold Maru-tsumami” is in “Risshun, The First Day of Spring” page).

How to Make a Twofold Ken-tsumami

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Last time, we used a twofold Maru-tsumami to make a Japanese plum flower. Today, I’ll show you how to make a twofold Ken-tsumami. Actually, I think this is the easier of the two. I recommend using a thinner fabric for practice until you get used to it. 

You will need:

  • one 1 inch square cloth (orange)
  • one 1 inch square cloth (yellow)
  • glue
  • tweezers (You don’t need tweezers, but it’s much easier with them)
  • wet paper towels for cleaning your fingers

Instructions:

1.Make a single Ken-tsumami with an orange cloth. (“How to make a Ken-tsumami” is here.)

2. Fold a yellow cloth twice like the picture to make a ¼ size triangle.

3.Put the orange Ken-tsumami you made on the yellow ¼ size triangle.

4. Fold the yellow ¼ size triangle in half and sandwich the orange Ken-tsumami inside.

5. Glue the bottom part and let it dry.

6. Done!

“Risshun,” The First Day of Spring

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Japan now uses the 12 month Gregorian calendar like the West, but that doesn’t mean our older, more traditional calendars aren’t still extremely important. We inherited the Chinese lunar calendar long ago, and the date of certain special events are still determined by the monthly phases of the moon.

But because the moon’s phases average only about 29 days, we used another Chinese calendar to keep track of the seasons. In Japan, we call it the “Nijushi sekki.” It’s based on the solar cycles, and under it, the first day of spring is called “Risshun.”

Risshun falls on February 3rd this year. Hearing “Risshun” makes Japanese feel like “spring is coming” even though it’s still very cold outside. Around this time, the “ume,” or the Japanese plum flower, also starts blooming. Like I mentioned in another post, ume flowers herald the arrival of spring. (The post about Japanese plum “Ume” is here.)

So in honor of the coming spring, I’m going to show you how to make a twofold Maru-tsumami (how to make single Maru-tsumami is here) so you can make your own ume blossom!

How to make a twofold Ume

You will need:

  • five 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) red square cloths
  • five 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) white square cloths
  • one 1 inch (2.5 cm) round paper disc (thick paper is better)
  • craft flower stamens to decorate the center of the flower
  • glue
  • tweezers (You don’t need tweezers, but it’s much easier with them)
  • wet paper towels for cleaning your fingers

Instructions:

  1. Making a twofold Maru-tsumami

a) First, make a triangle by folding a white square cloth half.

b) Then, fold it in half again to make a smaller triangle. Put aside.

c) Repeat 1 and 2 with a red square cloth.

d) Between the creases of the red cloth, put the white cloth triangle you made just a little bit outside.

e) Fold them in half again, but both ways this time.

f) Glue at the bottom part. You just need a dab.

g) Wait until the glue dries. (It doesn’t need to be completely dry, just enough to keep its shape.)

h) Shape the top round part to make a petal.

2. Make the other 4 petals with twofold Maru-tsumami method.

3. Put glue on the round paper disc and place the petals you made evenly towards the center.

4. Reshape the flower.

5. Let the glue completely dry.

6. Glue the flower stamens and balance them evenly.

7. Let the glue completely dry.

8. Done!

Tsubaki – Japanese Camellia-

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The “tsubaki” is the Japanese camellia. It is an ancient flower mentioned in Japan’s oldest collections of poems, “The Anthology of Myriad Leaves,” about 1250 years ago.

One facet of Japanese culture that people might find interesting is “kigo,” which means seasonal words. As the name implies, these are sets of words associated with particular seasons. Kigo are often used in poetry and art to signify when the poem or painting takes place. For example, tsubaki bloom vibrant red even in the bleak, colorless winter, so if a haiku uses the word tsubaki, it is understood that it is winter-themed.

I’d like to show you how to make your own tsubaki with tsumami zaiku. Maybe you could wear it this winter!

You’ll learn a new technique for this accessory. Tsubaki need fewer parts than the previous flowers we’ve made, but the technique is a little more difficult. After some practice, I’m sure you will find your way. Remember that tsumami zaiku isn’t hard; it just takes patience. Don’t give up and enjoy making it!

How to make a Tsubaki:

You will need:

  • three 1.5 (3.8 cm) inch red cloth squares
  • one ¾ (1.9 cm) inch round paper disc (thick paper is better)
  • craft flower stamens for decorations for the center of the flower
  • glue
  • tweezers
  • wet paper towels for cleaning your fingers

Instructions:

1.Make 3 petals with Maru-tsumami. (“How to make Maru-tsumami” link here.)

2. Open up the petals before the glue dries.

3. Glue petals on the paper disc. Put them more towards the inside of the center.

4. Put the bottom edge between the paper disc and underneath the petal before the glue on the paper disc dries.

5. Put the edge of one side of the petal between the paper disc and underneath the petal beside it before the glue on the paper disc dries.

6. Glue the other side of the edge of the petal on the petal beside it while shaping the petal.

7. Bind up the craft flower stamens with wire. One characteristic of Tsubaki is its gorgeous thick stamens, so use plenty for this flower.

8. Glue the stamens to the center of the flower.

9. Let the glue dry.

10. Done!

Making a snowflake ornament with Ken-tsumami vol.2

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Creates about 3.5 inch (9cm) snowflake

Last time, I made a 2.5 inch (6cm) snowflake ornament. This time, I’m going to share a bigger sized snowflake ornament with the same shape. The way you make it is almost the same. I added one more color to the snowflake, and the cloth sizes are bigger.

You’ll need:

  • six 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) white cloth squares – (A)
  • twelve 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) green cloth squares – (B)
  • six 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) blue cloth squares – (C)
  • six 2 inch (5 cm) white cloth squares – (D)
  • one 3 inch (7.5 cm) white cloth square
  • decorations for the center of the flower (I use beads and craft flower stamens)
  • one 1 inch (2.5 cm) round paper disc (thick paper is better. I use a carton board I cut from things like cereal boxes)
  • one 1.5 inch (3.8cm) round paper disc (thick paper is better)
  • one 8 inch (20 cm) ribbon or string
  • glue
  • tweezers (You don’t need tweezers, but it’s much easier with them)
  • wet paper towels for cleaning your fingers

Instructions:

1. Make 6 white parts with (A), 12 green parts with (B), 6 blue parts with (C) and 6 white parts with (D) with the “Ken-tsumami” method.

2. Put glue on your 1 inch (2.5 cm) paper disc and place your (D) parts uniformly around the center.

(Hint: draw lines on your disc so you know where to place your petals.)

3. Before the glue gets completely dry, place your (C) parts between the (D) parts. You might need to put some glue on the bottom of (C) parts if the glue on your disc gets dry.

4. Reshape it before the glue dries. (Because they may move around in the wet glue.)

5. Put glue over half of the bottom of your (B) parts, and place them on your paper disc between each (C) and (D) parts.

6. Put a little glue between the bottom of the (B) parts you just glued, and put them together by squeezing them a little.

7. Put glue on 1/3 of the bottom on your (A) parts and place them between the (B) parts you just squeezed.

8. Make a board for the back side. Put glue on your 1.5 inch (3.8cm) paper disc and place it on the center of your 3 inch (7.5 cm) white cloth square with glue side down.

9. Cut off the corner of the cloth so it becomes round, put glue on the cloth, and wrap it around the paper disc.

10. Fold your ribbon (or string) in half. Place its ends on the center of the board you just made and glue it.

11. Put more glue on the board to glue it on the back of your snowflake. You need to decide which side is up before you glue, so be careful!

12. Finally, put glue on the center of your snowflake and place it on your decoration.

13. Congratulations!!! Done!

This time, I made a 3.5 inch (9cm) snowflake ornament, but if you change the sizes of clothes, you can make it bigger or smaller. You can also make it into a pin or a hair ornament by using a pin or a clip instead of a ribbon or string. Enjoy your creation!

bigger snowflake: 3.5 inch (9 cm)

smaller snowflake: 2.5 inch (6 cm)

Making a snowflake ornament with Ken-tsumami

Published on by Haruka WilleyLeave a comment

Creates about 2.5 inch (6cm) snowflake

Christmas is coming! This time, I’m going to share how to make a snowflake ornament with Tsumami-zaiku. You need to make lots of parts this time, but the basic method is always the same, so don’t worry! You can do it!

You’ll need:

  • eighteen 1 inch (2.5 cm) white cloth squares – (A)
  • six 1 inch (2.5 cm) blue cloth squares – (B)
  • six 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) white cloth squares – (C)
  • one 2 inch (5 cm) white cloth square
  • decorations for the center of the flower (I use beads and craft flower stamens)
  • one 1 inch (2.5 cm) round paper disc (thick paper is better. I use a carton board I cut from things like cereal boxes)
  • one 1.2 inch (3cm) round paper disc (thick paper is better)
  • one 8 inch (20 cm) ribbon or string
  • glue
  • tweezers (You don’t need tweezers, but it’s much easier with them)
  • wet paper towels for cleaning your fingers

Instructions:

1. Make 18 white parts with (A), 6 blue parts with (B) and 6 white parts with (C) with the “Ken-tsumami” method. (“How to make Ken-tsumami” link here.)

2. Put glue on your 1 inch (2.5 cm) paper disc and place your (C) parts uniformly around the center.

(Hint: draw lines on your disc so you know where to place your petals.)

3. Before the glue gets completely dry, place your (B) parts between the (C) parts. You might need to put some glue on the bottom of (B) parts if the glue on your disc gets dry.

4. Reshape it before the glue dries. (Because they may move around in the wet glue.)

5. Put glue over half of the bottom of your (A) parts, and place them on your paper disc between each (B) and (C) parts. You should have 6 (A) parts left.

6. Put a little glue between the bottom of the (A) parts you just glued, and put them together by squeezing them a little.

7. Put glue on 1/3 of the bottom on your left (A) parts and place them between the (A) parts you just squeezed.

8. Make a board for the back side. Put glue on your 1.2 inch (3cm) paper disc and place it on the center of your 2 inch (5 cm) white cloth square with glue side down.

9. Cut off the corner of the cloth so it becomes round, put glue on the cloth, and wrap it around the paper disc.

10. Fold your ribbon (or string) in half. Place its ends on the center of the board you just made and glue it.

11. Put more glue on the board to glue it on the back of your snowflake. You need to decide which side is up before you glue, so be careful!

12. Finally, put glue on the center of your snowflake and place it on your decoration.

13. Congratulations!!! Done!

This time, I made a 2.5 inch (6cm) snowflake ornament, but if you change the sizes of clothes, you can make it bigger or smaller. You can also make it into a pin or a hair ornament by using a pin or a clip instead of a ribbon or string. Once I make a bigger snowflake ornament for my own Christmas tree, and I’ll share the plans with everyone! See you then!