kanzashi totural

Kanzashi Tutorial:

Begin with a square of 3" fabric.  I recommend starching and ironing your fabric before, as it will be easier to work with and leave you with a neater finished product.

Fold this square in half diagonally. Hold the triangle with the open end pointing up.

Fold the bottom left corner up to the center peak.

Then fold the bottom right corner up to the center.

Flip your fabric over and fold the outer corner in (left and right) so that they meet in the center.

Fold your fabric in half.

The folded corners should be tucked in.

Pinch the folded fabric together.  Put a pin through the petal, making sure to go through the smaller triangles, to secure it.

Clean up each petal by trimming off the base.   To do this, just cut straight across the bottom fold.

Repeat with all of your 3" squares.

Now that your petals are clean and ready to go, thread your needle.  I like to double up on the amount of thread for more reinforcement.

Pull the threaded needle through the first petal near the base.

Do not knot your thread at the end.  Instead, leave about 5 inches to work with later.  Thread all the petals in the same spot.

Cut the needle off and leave enough thread to create your knot.  Loop the two ends of thread together to create a surgeon’s knot.

Tighten the knot to bring the petals closer together. Once the flowers are evenly arranged, double-knot your thread.  Cut the remaining lengths of thread. Press your flower down gently with your fingers to straighten any crooked petals.

Pucker the ends of the petals with your fingers so that they open nicely.  This step is optional.  If you prefer straighter petals, then skip this step.  Pushing the ends with your fingers will give you rounder, fuller petals.