An introduction
Using the Kumihimo disk
More ideas for using the Kumihimo disk
Using the Kumihimo plate
More ideas for using the Kumihimo plate
Braiding with beads
As a professional textile artist, Helen Deighan has been making quilts since 1984. Initially working from existing patterns, she soon started developing her own designs. And, when she couldn't find the right colour or shade to fit - she dyed her own. Over the past ten years she has created many exciting dyeing effects using everyday household objects - from cat litter trays and drain pipes to her now famous plastic freezer bags! Helen's latest passion is designing and making textile coil pots.
The author is an experienced braider who started out on a wooden
Madurai before discovering Kumihimo disks and plates. She
subsequently found that some of her students, previously put off by
complex instructions and expensive equipment, were thrilled that
they were able to make braids using these simple little tools.
Having recently progressed in the opposite direction, from disk to
Marudai, I expected to find this small book a little too
simplistic. Far from it. The first eight-thread braid was one that
I recognised. On the very next page was a sixteen-thread braid that
I might have been reluctant to try, but her diagrams and
explanations were so clear that I fished out my disk and made one
straight away. In the next section she explained how to change the
patterns using different arrangements of the coloured threads
around the disk at the start, which I now understand. Later
sections covered how to reverse the spiral, hollow braids with and
without inserts, triangular braids, chevrons, flat braids, woven
braids, zig zag braids and braids with beads. In just 45 pages the
author has managed to rekindle my enthusiasm and I will be making
much more ambitious braids using my old disk. I have no hesitation
in recommending this book to both novice and experienced
braiders.
*The Journal for Weavers, Spinners & Dyers*
December 2014 As you can see from the cover of this book you know
it's going to be packed full of different designs for you to try.
Not only do you get easy to follow instructions you also get your
own disk & plate to cut out. This book is an easy to follow guide
to Japanese braiding. It covers everything from yarns or threads to
use. How to arrange the threads on the disk or plate. How to braid
with beads and how to finish off. There are an amazing mix of
designs to make. Each looks more amazing than the last. Not only
that you are given examples of how you can use the braids. I must
admit that there were lots more ideas than I had thought of. To
read the rest of this review and many visit Crochet Addict UK or
follow this link.
http://www.crochetaddictuk.com/2014/12/beautiful-braiding-made-easy-book-review.html
*Crochet Addict UK*
January 2015 Braiding is not just for hair anymore. Using a
Japanese technique she discovered in Australia, textilist and
author (Dyeing in Plastic Bags, for one) Deighan not only
demonstrates how to use the Kumihimo disk and plate but she also
incorporates two ready-to-cut-out versions on the book’s front
flap. (For library consideration, tape over the disk and plate with
a note about where to order them online.) In all, about 30 patterns
are featured, with the disk producing round braids; the plate, the
flat version; and then, using beads in the designs. It’s hard to
envision, exactly, the process without selecting appropriate
threads (usually thin) and simply beginning. At the end of each
chapter, a gallery of finished patterns, with page references,
appears for crafters; what would make this unusual method even more
appealing is the addition of a fourth chapter—ideas for making
braids a part of home decor, of clothing, of accessories.
*Booklist*
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