July - September 2010 Newsletter
Brenda and Karen: Havin’ Their Say!
We are still working furiously to get the SHOPPING CART live and online. Sometimes it has been two steps forward
and one step back!
We have had an incredible learning curve, so we very much appreciate your patience.
We will send out an email when the SHOPPING CART is up.
If you want to order some beads you can always email us at sales_beadingelements@comcast.net
or call at (941) 331-4333 10am-6pm EST, Monday-Friday.
We have some great new products in!
- Vintage Clasps
- New Delica mixes in 5 colors
- Lucite flatbacks
- 18mm Swarovski Rivolis
- New books for stringing, weaving and wire work
- New shapes and colors in Kazuri beads
- New freshwater pearls
- 11/0 mix – Natel’s Delight – created by customer Dick Natel
- Delica mixes - 5 colors on order
- New sea glass shapes
The Art of Kumihimo ....
Kumihimo: Then and Now
Kumihimo is the Japanese art of braiding with cords, Kumi (to plait/braid or ‘coming together’) + Himo (string/cord).
It is believed that kumihimo began around 550 A.D. for decorative use in Buddhist religious ceremonies.
During the
period of 784 - 1184 A.D, kumihimo grew in popularity with the expansion of the Buddhist religion in Japan.
As
Kumihimo grew, so did the complexity of the stitches. These were passed on over the generations within a family
group to keep the patterns a secret. There are hundreds of different kumihimo stitches, from simple to very complex,
using from 4 to 100 strands of thread!
Eventually these brightly colored braids were used to decorate kimonos and fans, hang banners and knives,
as closures for samurai armor (some armor required 1,000 feet of braid!), as a grip for the samurai sword, and as
ribbons to designate the samurai’s status. An interesting tidbit – historically in Japan it has been common to
attempt assassination through poisoning a person’s tea. To prevent the cups, pots and utensils from being contaminated,
they were stored in braided (kumihimo) bags. The knots of the bag were so complex that another person could not
retie them the exact same way, thus alerting to tampering.
There are several different types of stands used to create the kumihimo braid, each type creating it’s own style of braid.
The four most common are: (Photos courtesy of www.englisch.kumihimo.de)
Ayatakedai (Bamboo stand) - creates flat braids, similar to those made by tablet (card) weaving. The thread bundles
that are kept tightly twisted, rather than lying flat, reflect light in a different ways. This is the most complex method.
Ayatakedai Kumihimo Stand |
Ayatakedai Braid Samples |
Takadai (High stand) - creates only flat braids that can be single or double layered, with very intricate patterns.
Kakudai (Square stand) - requires working with tightly twisted threads. It produces braids that are square,
round, or oval. When worked, the finished braid is pulled upwards by a weighted pulley. |
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Kakudai Kumihimo Stand |
Kakudai Kumihimo Braids |
Marudai (Round stand) - the most common stand, can produce braids that are either round, square, or flat.
While being worked, the finished braid is pulled downward by a counterweight. |
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Maurdai Kumihimo Stand |
Maurdai Kumihimo Braids |
| The most popular and least expensive Kumihimo loom in the US today is a foam disc. It comes in round – for a round braid (maurdai), and square – for a flat braid. What is unique to the foam disc is that it has grooves cut into the foam that hold the cord tension and keep them in place. We carry both styles in the store for $16.25 each. |
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Modern Kumihimo Foam Disk |
The other option is the large wooden Maurdai stand (see above photo) with no slots. This requires
weighted bobbins to hold the thread tension. It is available on-line at various sites for about $50-200.
And finally, what the 21st C. brings to Kumihimo is adding beads. This is currently the most popular method
of Kumihimo. Beads can be added to some or all the threads to create unique pieces. Beads can include
seed beads from 6/0 to 11/0, gemstones, glass or crystal in most sizes.
For the most common modern technique, beads are loaded onto the thread and wound onto 8 bobbins
prior to starting the braid. The finished piece would have no fiber visible, such as in the examples below
(Kumihimo with 3 colors of 8/0s, Kumihimo with 8/0s and teardrops and Kumihimo with Swarovski
Crystals). If beads are left off of some of the threads, then the finished piece would have fiber
visible – as seen in Kumihimo with 8/0 and fiber (below). Kumihimo is a great project for anyone, but
especially for people who want a woven look, but can’t weave because of difficulty with vision or dexterity.
Below are samples of finished pieces. |
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Kumihimo with 3 colors of size 8/0 beads
- Valerie Lewis
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Kumihimo with 8/0 and 3x6mm teardrop beads
– Valerie Lewis |
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Kumihimo with 11/0 beads and
3mm Swarovski Crystals - Brenda Hinesley |
Kumihimo with 8/0 beads and Fiber - Valerie Lewis |
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