Japanese needlework: an overview of types, techniques

Japan is a rapidly developing country with the preservation of centuries-old foundations and traditions. She is mysterious, unique and very creative. Here, many ancient techniques in needlework are used to this day, and finished products are not only attractive, but also carry a deep symbolic meaning. Some of the techniques are similar to the classical ones that are widespread all over the world, some have no analogues, but are still popular, and some have remained in demand only within their homeland.

Amigurumi

This type of Japanese needlework cannot be confused with another, despite the fact that, in fact, this is a simple crochet toy. However, there are a few key nuances here:

Products are miniature, usually their size is from 2 to 8 cm.
The knitting density is very high. In order to achieve this result, you need to choose a smaller hook than the thread requires.
The product is knitted in a spiral with simple single crochets.
Classic amigurumi are disproportionate - they have a big head and a small body. Although lately they have taken on a more proportionate shape.
Threads should be used smooth, with a minimum of protruding villi. Ideally, use cotton or silk threads.

Kanzashi

Kanzashi originally referred to the traditional long hair clips used to fix geisha hairstyles. Since the kimono does not imply the wearing of bracelets and necklaces, it was the studs that began to decorate, mainly with flowers and butterflies made by hand from silk and satin. Over time, the appearance of kanzashi began to demonstrate to others not only the skills of the needlewoman, but also her social status and financial situation. Many Japanese girls could decorate their hair with many hairpins, turning their head into a flower bed. Today, kanzashi is a type of Japanese needlework, which is a technique for creating flowers from satin ribbons. The main features of such colors is that all the petals are obtained in the process of adding basic shapes - a square, a triangle, a circle, a rectangle, and the petal is fixed and fixed on the product by means of fire or glue.

Temari

This Japanese needlework technique involves embroidery on balls. Its ancestor is China, but it gained particular popularity in Japan. Initially, balls were made in this way, fixing a round shape with threads, laterjugglers began to decorate them to attract the attention of the public, as well as mothers for small children. Later, this technique moved to the section of applied art and became popular among noble needlewomen. They took unnecessary things, yarn, wooden blanks as a basis, now they use ping-pong balls or foam balls. This base is first wrapped with thick yarn, creating a layer that will be embroidered, and wrapped with thin threads on top to fix the position of the yarn and even out the surface of the ball. Then it is necessary to make marks: the upper point, the lower one, the "equator", after which additional longitudinal and transverse markings are made. The ball ready for embroidery should look like a globe. The more complex the drawing, the more auxiliary lines should be. The embroidery itself is a smooth surface with long stitches that cover the surface of the ball. They can intertwine, intersect each other, giving the surface the desired look.

Mizuhiki

This technique is a distant relative of macrame, it consists in knitting knots. There are three features here:

Knitted using paper cord.
The finished product can consist of several or just one node.
Each node has its own meaning.

There are a great many knots, even the most experienced master does not remember half of them by heart. Use them when packing gifts, things or as a talisman. In Japan, there is a certain knot language, thanks to which, giving, for example, a fish inthis technique, you can wish good luck, we alth and prosperity, and a book, the packaging of which is fixed with a beautiful knot, can become a wish for wisdom and happiness. Often the gift is mainly the knot, and not what it is tied to. Thus, you can congratulate on your wedding, wish you he alth, offer condolences, and so on. Simple knots of this Japanese needlework are quite easy to knit, but it is worth remembering that all repeated elements must be the same size, otherwise there will be a distortion of meaning, so the main requirements here will be attentiveness, developed fine motor skills and a good eye.

Kinusaiga

Japanese handicraft in this technique is the creation of panels from patches. The basis of such products are wooden boards, on which a pattern is first applied, and then grooves are cut along its contour. Initially, old kimono were used for this technique, which were cut into small pieces and fitted each element of the panel, tucking the edges of the fabric into cut grooves. Thus, a patchwork pattern was obtained, but, unlike patchwork, threads and needles are not used here.

Now this technique is gaining popularity all over the world, you can find both ready-made kits and simple schemes for creating such panels, and their complexity varies from very simple, consisting of several flaps, and even children can make pictures, to very complex. In such paintings, the elements of the picture can be only a few millimeters, and the color palette usedpatches is so wide that the finished product can be confused with a picture painted with paints. Instead of a wooden base, cardboard from boxes glued in several layers is increasingly being used. This greatly facilitates cutting out the contours of the pattern, but it is not particularly convenient to use, since in the process of tightening the elements there is a risk of wrinkling the top layer of cardboard, which will lead to a violation of the fixation of the edge of the flap and, consequently, a general deformation of the product.

Important!

Each element of the picture must have a closed path.
The background should also be divided into elements.
The smaller the details of the picture and the wider the palette of shreds, the more beautiful and realistic the finished panel will be.

Terimen

This type of Japanese needlework is very close to the Russian people due to the similarity with the manufacture of protective dolls - capsules and herbalists. They are also pouches made in the shape of people, animals and flowers, but they are smaller - about 5-9 cm. They were used to scent rooms, clean linen or as perfumes. Now terimen are miniature soft toys, designed more for decorating the interior than for playing. Some needlewomen still add herbs inside, but already mixing with synthetic filler. The main difficulty in creating these products is their size. Small details are quite difficult to sew and turn, so working in this technique requires perseverance, accuracy and well-developed fine motor skills.

Furoshiki

Japanese handicrafts in various sizes of fabric for packing and carrying things. To be more precise, it is a whole art. With one piece of fabric and several knots, you can create different types of bags, backpacks, carrying heavy purchases and gift wrapping. Moreover, they look very attractive and can harmoniously complement any image. The standard size of matter is a square with a side of 75 cm, however, other sizes suitable for a particular case are also acceptable. Furoshiki is perhaps the most practical type of Japanese needlework. Bags can be formed depending on fashion trends, and when the material gets tired or loses its attractiveness, it can be used for household needs or other types of needlework.

Kumihimo

Cord weaving is very important in Japan. This technique has a centuries-old history, and the translation literally sounds like "rearrangement of threads." Shoelaces, and, accordingly, machines for their manufacture, are of two types:

Round. The machine looks like a large wooden spool. Threads are wound on bobbins and laid out in a circle in a certain color order. Then they begin to shift in a circle. Depending on the type of lace, the pitch can be 1, 2 threads, 170°, etc.
Flat. The machine has the shape of a right angle, the master is located between its rays, on which the threads are fixed.

However, it is not necessary to use a special machine, for example, forTo weave a round lace, a cardboard circle with notches on the outside and a hole in the center is enough.

Such laces were made for attaching armor, elements of clothing, for hair and other items, and the colors, order and even situations when the lace was presented had a special symbolic meaning. Now this type of Japanese needlework is actively used to create bracelets, key rings, pendants and other jewelry.

Sashiko

The Japanese technique of stitching layers of old fabric to create warmer clothes in poor neighborhoods has moved into the category of embroidery, retaining only the appearance and symbolism of the ornament. Classic embroidery is done on a dark blue canvas with white threads. It differs from ordinary embroidery in that the lines here are broken, the distances between stitches are equal to the stitch length. The complexity of the sashiko technique is difficult to overestimate, not only should all stitches be small and the same, they should not intersect, there should always be an equal distance between them. Today, other colors of the warp and threads are also used, multi-colored embroidery is also found, but this is already a more European variation that does not have a Japanese identity.

Anesama

This Japanese paper craft was designed for children's play. A blank doll was being prepared, which consisted of a white circle of the head, black hair made of paper (a circle in the back, a semicircle with a flat side cut under the bangs in front) and a wooden flat stick insteadbody. Then it was wrapped in beautiful paper, imitating a kimono. Girls liked to play with such dolls, easily changing outfits, and sometimes hairstyles. A feature of the toys was the absence of a face, as on Russian charm dolls. It is very easy to create products using the anesama technique, the base can be made of cardboard, and expensive Japanese paper can be replaced with ordinary colored, beautiful thick napkins or bright pages of magazines.

Shibori

Handicraft in Japan does not always have its own roots, for example, this technique was borrowed from India, but was recognized first in Japan, and then conquered the whole world. Its essence lies in the peculiar coloring of the fabric. Unlike the classical one, where the fabric is simply dipped into a vat of dye, here it is pre-twisted, folded or tied, after which the dye is applied. It can be one or more colors. After that, the fabric is dried, straightened and dried completely. The dye enters only the upper, accessible layers, without touching those that are in the knots and folds. Thus, all kinds of ornaments, decorative stains and color transitions appear. Now you can find many items of clothing - jeans, T-shirts, scarves, dyed in this technique.

One of the uses of Japanese shibori needlework is to create jewelry. To do this, the silk fabric is shirred, and then the upper folds are stained. Such tapes can also be bought at the store, but their cost is quite high due to the fact that all materials onproduction is natural, and the work is manual. With the help of such ribbons in combination with beads and stones, you can create quite voluminous, but at the same time almost weightless products that will become a worthy decoration of an evening look.

There is nothing more soulful than a handmade gift. Japanese needlework opens up great opportunities in creating a unique product that will not only become an interior decoration, but will also be filled with a certain meaning. And the tendency of the Japanese to create miniature things will make it possible to make a unique thing from a small amount of material, as well as give a second, and maybe a third life to unnecessary shreds and threads.

Chain weaving: types and techniques

We are used to seeing chain mail on people who are passionate about historical reenactments, on fantasy lovers and role-players. However, it happens that such jewelry becomes the rage of fashion, and now all models are wearing bracelets woven using chain mail technique. In this article, you will learn what chain weaving is, its varieties, and whether it is difficult for beginners to master this technique