I simply could not believe how uncomplicated Emi Fukushima's beautiful miniature kimonos were to make. Whether attached to a background of handmade paper and framed, or hung from a dowel, they were some of the most attractive wall decorations I've seen. Directions for the two basic mini kimonos are provided below.
Kimono #1
Materials:
5" x 7" piece of handmade paper
20" length of 1 1/2"-wide wired ribbon
6" length fine cording
Elmer's glue
Steps: - Fold top edge of paper over about 3/4" to give a folded top edge.
- Fold paper in half lengthwise. Mark a dot about halfway between fold and open edge, and slightly more than about one third of the distance from the top fold to the bottom. Cut from the outside bottom corner to the dot, cutting through both layers (Fig. 1).
- Unfold. Turn piece wrong side up. Fold the inside wings in to the center, and the outside wings up. If the tips come beyond the top edge of the paper, trim them off. Turn piece over. You will have your basic kimono shape.
- Place an 8" length of the ribbon down the middle, covering the center fold line. Fold excess ribbon over at the top and bottom edges. Glue to hold.
- Cut two 4" lengths of ribbon and place on top of the sleeves, positioning the ribbon to extend about 3/4" beyond the outside edges of the sleeves. Fold top and bottom edges of ribbon to the back and glue to hold.
- Trim edges of remaining 4" length of ribbon so it is about 3/4" wide, and fold side edges in at an angle to shape collar (see illustration). Place at neckline and glue to hold. Add cord and tie at waist.
- The completed kimono may be used to decorate a greeting card, or it may be mounted on a piece of torn handmade paper glued to another background paper, and then framed.
Kimono #2
Materials:
handmade paper
8" length of 1-1/2"-wide wired ribbon (patterned)
18" length of 1-1/2"-wide wired ribbon (plain)
Elmer's glue
Steps: - Cut a 3-1/4" x 4" oval out of the paper and fold in half crosswise.
- Cut a 1-1/2" x 4-1/2" strip of the paper and insert in the folded oval (Fig. 2). I added a second cut-out in this shape to give more body, but this isn't essential.
- Place 5" length of ribbon down center of piece and fold over at top and bottom edges. Glue to hold.
- Cut off a 5" length of the wired ribbon and gather along one edge. Glue the two ends in so no raw edges show, and place gathered end under the end of the patterned ribbon. Gather the remaining 13" length of ribbon and position the gathered end under the kimono sleeves (see illustration). Fold in the ends. Add collar from remaining piece of patterned ribbon as described. Glue everything to hold.
Kimono Stamps
If you just love the look of kimonos, you'll want to check out these novel rubber stamps! Limited Edition has several versions, one of which is just the outline of the kimono. Stamp this on colorfully patterned origami paper, emboss and cut out, and you have a beautiful kimono ready to be mounted on a suitable background and turned into a lovely note card or wall hanging. The stamps come in two sizes.
RESOURCES :
kimono stamps
Limited Edition Rubber Stamps
Website: www.LimitedEditionRS.com
Hobby Industry Association (HIA)
Hobby Industry Association (HIA)
Elmwood Park, NJ
US
Phone: 201-794-1133
Toll Free Phone: 800-822-0494
Email: hia@hobby.org
URL: www.hobby.org
GUESTS :
Emi Fukushima
Artist, Creations by Emi
E-mail: ecreations@sbcglobal.net
Website: creationsbyemi.com
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