Today’s update is a small one – just one more brooch to add in my quest this year to add more brooches to my repertoire.

This brooch is also the second project in the basic tsumami-zaiku course offered through the International Tsumami-zaiku Association.

Kentsuki ume (plum blossom) is a motif that uses round (maru) and pointed (ken) petals together. It’s also interesting to mix things up.

Speaking of mixing things up, this is another piece that uses textured chirimen fabric. I normally don’t work with chirimen. I always thought the texture would bother me, but after working on the basic course I found that I do like the textured fabric after all. Maybe not as much as I like working with smooth silk, but for some reason chirimen feels more forgiving to work with.

I also think that pieces made with chirimen have a more youthful feel; the textured fabric is a little thicker and puffier, giving the petals a fullness that you don’t get with smooth silk habotai. It feels just a touch less formal to me than pieces made with silk, and I appreciate that. This piece is also interesting in that it has both a clip and a brooch back, which means it can be attached or worn in a couple different ways.

All in all, I enjoyed the process of making this piece – and all the pieces I made with chirimen during my certification course. I definitely think I’ll be exploring this material further in the future. I even found that you can buy sets of color co-ordinated pre-cut chirimen squares on Amazon Japan for making tsumami-zaiku. Being the lazy bum I am, I’m seriously considering buying pre-cut, haha. To be honest, convenience is one of those things I am always willing to pay a little extra for.

Anyhoo, if you enjoyed this post I hope you check back again next week for more craftiness. And, if you’re interested int his Kentsuki Plum Blossom Brooch, this will be part of my end of month product drop! 🙂 Keep an eye on this page or follow my Instagram for more crafty chill updates.