Braids, Tassels and Trimmings

Kumihomo

This is a Japanese art form which uses a maru-dai. Its deceptively simple but absolutely stunning. I made a maru dai out of cardboard according to the instructions in a book "The Big Book of Sling and Rope Braids" by Rodrick Owen. I borrowed this from the library but sadly this book seems to be out of print. Jacqui Carey seems to be the Britain's kumihomo wizard and she has an excellent website. I have her "Beads and Braids" and she stocks wonderful wooden maru-dai kits.

Lucette

I bought this gadget at the "Mary Rose" Museum in Portsmouth. Apparently, this is how one made cord in Tudor times. Here I'm using a Stef Francis thread.

In Progress

This is being made with a wooden tassel form and Stef Francis threads. Unfortunately, some of the timber is peeping through between the coils of thread. I didn't notice this until I put this photo on the website. I'll either have to start again, or find some way of disguising the fault. My plan was to have a fringe of fine, coloured thread, first a row of pink, then a row of green, then an outer row of strung beads.

Pair of tassels made with forms

These tassels are made using wooden tassel forms wrapped with Stef Francis overdyed polyester cord. The fringe is Watercolours by Caron thred, and is stitched to wire which is then wrapped around the forms in a groove. The braid hides the join.

Beaded tassel.

See Beads Page for more details

Simple beaded tassel

A simple beaded tassel finished off this bead knitted Christmas Ball ornament. 

Black and white tassel

This tassel has a small canvas work pillow (tent stitch). That and the tassel are made from Watercolours by Caron thread, and the beads are ceramic and glass. 

Black tassel and bead knitted purse

This tassel has a black bead knitted "Hand of Grace" bag. The beads and thread were left over from the black evening bag on the Bead Knitting page. The beads are ceramic and glass. 

Temari.

I made a second copy of the temari ball below, this time with a 6 inch diameter styrofoam ball and perle cotton, as the pattern instructed. I have since bought a book by Diana Vandervoort "Temari Treasures, Japanese Thread Balls and More" and this gives a treasury of designs for temari as well as for Koma also featured on this page.

Temari, Janet Donelly. 

From Inspirations Magazine, Issue 20, 1998.

I made this Japanese embroidered ball using a 3 inch diameter styrofoam ball, for my daughter's bedroom. The tassel was made from different, but coordinating thread to what was used to embroider the ball, because I wanted to use a heavier weight thread. The embroidery is DMC stranded cotton, but the tassel is perle cotton with metallic thread wound in as well. The design is supposed to represent a chrysanthemum.

Pale green tassel album closer

This was my second tassel made along the same lines as the one below. I made it with an extra long twisted cord so that it could be used to fasten the pages of my craft photo album together. Its made using perle cotton and has glass beads

Tassel making with Diane Paternoster

This was the sample I made in a class I did at Lazy Daisy in Burgundy St Heidelberg in Melbourne. Its made from a Caron thread and has wooden and terracotta beads.

Interior of Black Hatbox

Lined with morning glory fabric, in similar colours to the plums and sunflowers on the outside of the box.

Interior of Sunflowers Hatbox

Lined with sunflower themed fabric

Interior of Plums Hat Box

This is the interior of the plum hat box that can be seen in my Workshop page. The fabric is a blueberry print - the closest I could find to match the lid. 

Picnic Basket

I lined this basket, with its wine bottle compartments, for my niece's engagement present.

Interior of Picnic Basket

My fantastic friend Sally Nankervis arranged for us to have a basket lining tutorial at her house when we were living in Miri. I had bought this picnic basket in Miri, but it needed a lining so this was my first effort. The lining fabric was originally bought to make pirate bandanas for Emily's 5th birthday party, but it came in use for this project. I was really taken with the concept of creating a braid from a single length of satin ribbon.

Koma

I was introduced to this craft via an article on the Carol Duvall show on TV, featuring Diana Vandervoort. I had lots of fun making these for Christmas ornaments, but I like then so they hang in this window all the time. They were the first thing I taught the kids in the art room at Hoebridge Prep School. I have since bought Diana Vandervoort's book "Temari Treasures, Japanese Thread Balls and More". The "and more" includes these koma.

Japanese theme wall hanging

This was Sally Nankervis's idea. She even went out and bought the bamboo blind for me when my local Bunnings was out of them. The three fans are paper ones that came in a packet of 3 for $2.00. I painted them in silver with black, gold with black, and opalescent white with gold and tied them to the blind with black ribbon. I also made the 2 tassels, but the little Japanese lady was bought.