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Arleen — Minarai Pinwheel

Published: 2012-01-27 14:31:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 887; Favourites: 22; Downloads: 9
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Description A minarai is a maiko who starts her formal training on the job. F minarai, which literally means "learning by watching and thus minarai attend ozashiki (parties), they do not participate.

Minarai often wear those cute, non-seasonal pinwheels made of shibori fabric.

This is my first attempt at making those - I'll have smore shibori soon and try out more! It's around 5cm - the petals inside are about 1cm long

This one is a brooch and will be available in my etsy shop soon!

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Comments: 12

hanatsukuri [2012-01-28 08:26:39 +0000 UTC]

Very~ cute! I love it.

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Arleen In reply to hanatsukuri [2012-02-03 10:42:25 +0000 UTC]

Thanks ^^ I have to set it on a pin and add a tassel ^^

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EruwaedhielElleth [2012-01-27 20:36:09 +0000 UTC]

This is awesome! The petals are placed perfectly, and I like the color combination.

I tried to make one of these once. It turned out looking horrible, although I would like to try again someday. If you don't mind my asking, how do you keep the petals stiff ? Do you use a card frame, or are the petals just heavily starched?

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Arleen In reply to EruwaedhielElleth [2012-01-27 21:13:55 +0000 UTC]

thanks!

I use another layer of silk - very thin one. Then I starch them - not very heavily those and fuse the leyers together by ironing them. The tricky part is getting the rought edges safe from fraying.

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EruwaedhielElleth In reply to Arleen [2012-01-27 21:31:59 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the quick reply and the help! I use cotton, and I don't think it will fuse that way, so I suppose I'll have to find a different way of doing it if I try. Either that or I'll have to get some silk specifically for the purpose.

Your pinwheel really is gorgeous! If I wasn't pretty well broke right now I'd want to buy it.

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Arleen In reply to EruwaedhielElleth [2012-01-30 18:07:37 +0000 UTC]

Actually only shibori silk gives a proper effect - try buying some, plus some silk lining - it will work wonders

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EruwaedhielElleth In reply to Arleen [2012-01-30 21:19:28 +0000 UTC]

I'll just have to get some then.

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Arleen In reply to EruwaedhielElleth [2012-02-03 10:41:31 +0000 UTC]

Definetly!

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Pinumbra [2012-01-27 15:22:32 +0000 UTC]

Very cute,
I really love your sense of color balance!

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Arleen In reply to Pinumbra [2012-01-27 15:38:03 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! I'm really flattered since I felt that I have absolutely no feel for color

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Pinumbra In reply to Arleen [2012-01-27 16:11:13 +0000 UTC]

It is difficult, since the Japanese crafts have such a unique (and gorgeous) sense of color, but I think you're doing a very good job. Your works look very authentic.

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Arleen In reply to Pinumbra [2012-01-30 18:11:57 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! That makes me blush ^^

Well, acutally seem authentic, because I work very hard on research - it takes me weeks sometimes to work things out or wait for proper photos of a design (they tend to change from year to year). That's why I didn't manage to do a Janurary 2012 design yet - I was wiating for some photos to research. Since Oninide-san, a famous photographer of maiko and geiko, died, I have difficulties finding photos of current designs

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