Kanzashi dahlias - master class

Kanzashi - fascinating Japanese craftsmanship of creating elegant jewelry for hair from fabric and satin ribbons. In this technique, very beautiful flowers are made, striking in their similarity to the original, and at the same time each product is unique. We offer you a master class on how to make an unusual dahlia in Kansas technique. A step-by-step description with photos will help beginner masters to master this simple art.

MK by Kanzashi - dahlias

1. Take a satin ribbon 5 cm wide. You can take a narrower ribbon (4 cm), but keep in mind that at the same time the dahlia will turn out to be smaller in size. Also, a satin or other suitable fabric can be used instead of the tape. Cut off the square 5x5 cm.
2. Cut out the petal of the next shape. Using a gas lighter or a candle, you should gently scorch the edges so that the fabric does not pour.
3. We make a bend on one side in the lower part of the petal, fix it with a pin.
4. Then we make a bend on the other side, while trying to make the petal look as symmetrical as possible.
5. We melt the base of the petal and then press it with your fingers: this will fix its beautiful curved shape.
6. Now we work over the top edge of the petal. It is necessary to press two of its corners to each other and so to melt, so that they "grab" and the tip of the petal will turn out to be sharp. In this way he is a bit like the needle dahlia of Kanzash, which is made of longer strips of boats. For lush dahlias you need about 20-25 such petals.
7. And now the final stage of the work is the assembly of the dahlia flower. To do this, we need a rigid base, which is convenient to use a cardboard circle (4 cm in diameter), pasted with satin. It should be consistently, from the edges to the center, paste all the petals, gradually creating a form of dahlias. Products in Kansas technique are conveniently assembled using an adhesive thermo gun.

When you fill the petals with the whole base, go to the next tier so that the flower looks bulky. The last, the third tier consists of five petals, in the middle of which is a middle of mother-of-pearl beads.

The resulting flower can decorate a hairpin or hair band or become an original brooch. And using ribbons of different colors or combining them, you can create truly unique jewelry!

Also, according to this principle, other ornamental flowers can be created in the Kansas technique, for example, chrysanthemums or roses .