How to make a kusudama ball? Kusudama: a ball and other origami, schemes

In translation from the Japanese language, Kusudama is translated as a "medicine ball". Even in ancient times, the art of kusudam appeared and was used mainly by doctors and healers. The ball, made using this technology, was filled with a mixture of useful, natural incense and healing herbs, after which it was suspended over the bed of the sick person. In the modern world, these paper crafts are used as an unusual decoration, consisting of a large number of individual modules.

Amazing art

It's hard to believe, but the magic balls of the Kusudama have in their base simple square sheets, folded in a special way. In almost all models, the modules are stylized images of real colors. Individual parts are connected with each other using conventional threads or glue. Kusudama paper balls are often decorated with a nice brush, attaching it at the bottom of the design. The result of painstaking work will be a "flower" composition, suitable for decorating a private house, apartment or exquisite cafe, boutique or a shop for handicraft goods. To study the original Japanese art will be interesting for children, parents and experienced craftsmen.

The difference between Kusudama and origami

The amazing, harmonious art of folding beautiful flowers from pieces of paper is a wonderful meditative occupation. But how to distinguish the magic balls of Kusudama from similar items in origami technique? The difference is very simple: in the first case, glue or thread is used to fasten the parts, and in the second, the modules simply put each other in. Also in origami do not use scissors - every detail, any composition is created from one colored or white sheet of paper. However, do not think that the Kusudama ball will be more difficult than its counterpart from an earlier tradition. The basis of paperwork is patience, accuracy and a sense of color.

Kusudama "Flower Ball"

With this ball, you can decorate your interior, if you provide the product with a stand - it can be put on a shelf or table, or you can simply hang it to the ceiling. Kusudama is a light enough product, so it is easy to glue it on an adhesive tape or pin it with a pin. Also it will be an excellent gift to any woman: on the eighth of March, the birthday or the feast of the mother. The preparatory stage for work includes the search and collection of the necessary materials and tools. Paper is best to take a thin, designed for origami. Balls Kusudama will look great if you use several contrasting colors. In the brush it is necessary to add a thread of the same shade as the product itself.

Materials

Kusudama "Flower Ball" requires little preparation. It is necessary to take the following materials and tools:

• A special paper for origami or ordinary children's colored "for creativity" or even office, but different shades;
• Glue: it is desirable to use a glue stick, as the traditional "PVA" very strongly impregnates the paper and warps it;
• Sharp scissors that will not "chew" the edge of the sheet;
• Decorative cord, ribbon or twisted threads floss;
• Several beads of different sizes and rhinestones - for decoration you can use a variety of sequins, miniature butterflies, birds or leave the kusudama without supplements;
• Be sure to have enough patience - there is not much work, but it is quite painstaking.

Making a module

Asking about how to make a ball from kusudama, needlewomen are afraid of a large number of details. However, you need to learn how to do just one module. From a large number of identical elements, you can then create the entire structure. The module is manufactured in several stages:

1. Of the selected colored paper you need to cut sixty identical squares. Each such element must have a side of seven centimeters. Here it should be noted that the size of the future ball will depend on the size of the squares.
2. One module consists of several separate petals. Each flower will require five separate parts, they are glued together or stitched together. Thus, the needlewoman will get twelve identical elements, from which the ball of Kusudama will be collected.

Folding the petal

So, to get a Kusudama from paper, a magic ball is collected from the flowers. One petal is created in the following way:

• One square with a side of seven centimeters turns an angle upwards, stacking it in the form of a diamond;
• Bend the lower corners to the left and to the right;
• Now the top tails of the rhombus need to be bent to make a "lily";
• We unfold the halves, in the middle there should be a rhombus narrowed downwards;
• Turn out the corners of the turns for the contour and turn the lapels back to their original position along the line of the inner fold;
• Must again be a diamond with equal sides;
• The inner small folded part is smeared with glue and pressed tightly against the second side of the diamond;
• Should be a peculiar, bevelled cone with "stamping" from the folded corners in the middle. An example look at the photo.

Such petals need to prepare sixty pieces, then glue them in the form of flowers. Of the twelve large parts, the ball itself is already made.

Assembling the construction of the Kusudam

We take all twelve elements and glue together of them a magic floral ball. It will be more convenient to fasten six modules together, and then connect the two large parts together. Before gluing the halves of the ball inside, insert a tape or decorative cord. To do this, take the prepared braid, fold it in half, thus creating a loop on which the structure will hang. Below to the tape attach beads, brushes, miniature cells with birds, butterflies and much more. The received decorated cord is put into the middle of the halves of the ball, the details are glued with glue and fastened together. Medium flowers can additionally decorate with rhinestones, bright sparkles or "plant" on some modules of tiny insects, such as common ladybugs made of wood. Everything, floral kusudama (ball) is ready.

The paper module of the designer

Some Kusudam look unusual, they do not resemble flower balls, but are created to emphasize the beauty of geometry. To produce such models, special modules will be required, which are called the "designer part". All the lines of these elements are clear, even, as befits geometric figures. However, the Kusudam of them resemble sea corals, bunches of dug-out and many other representatives of flora and fauna.

To produce the module-constructor you will need a sheet of paper, naturally square, like all blanks for kusuds. Further we follow the description:

1. The sheet is bent in the middle, creating a vertical rectangle.
2. Workpiece unbend, then you need to bend each half in the middle. When the sheet is straightened - a surface is obtained, divided into four equal rectangles.
3. Now the sheet is bent diagonally, after which it is again unfolded.
4. The upper and lower sides of our square must be bent towards the diagonal. It should look like a rectangle stretched out over the corners in different directions, but in fact it is a rhombus.
5. Now nothing is unfolding, but we bend along the lines that turned out at point number two. That is, you need to bend the left and right sides to the middle of the module. You will get a beveled rhombus with two protruding corners beyond the edge line.
6. In the middle there will be a small corner, which will act on the second half. It needs to be refilled inwards.
7. We bend both sides along the central line, which turned out at the first stage.
8. The bulging part of the module needs to be rolled in such a direction that the edges of the lower and upper layers necessarily coincide.
9. Again, a protruding corner will appear, it is, traditionally, bent.
10. Turn the product over to the other side and bend it exactly as indicated in points eight and nine.

Corners and pockets

Each constructor module obtained will have two types of edges. One of them resembles a small pocket, and the second has only a corner. There are two ways to connect these constructor modules. The first involves assembling towards the common center of the future design. And the second method is designed to connect parts in a circle. Of these modules, you can create kusudams of six, twelve, thirty or sixty elements. The main rule: the number of parts must always be a multiple of six. This is required by the rules of geometry and ancient Japanese art.

Amazing crafts in the interior

We have already figured out how to assemble a ball of Kusudama, but how to use it so that it does not look like a cheap hand-made oddity from a kindergarten? Here, the recommendations of professional designers come to the rescue. First, you need to choose the paper responsibly. To make it easier to bend, you need a fairly strong material. Also, the paper should be thin and brightest. This does not mean that white or soft colors and shades do not fit. The dull, gray color of the products will give the impression that the whole structure is either very old and dusty, or made of low-quality, cheap paper.

Some masters prefer to cover the kusudam with varnish, so that it less attracts domestic dirt and shines in the sun. If you want to try this method, you need a professional coating. In the handicraft shops quite often you can find a varnish for decoupage in a can. It is easy to apply and it does not jam the paper products. For maximum strength of the composition, if it was made of a denser material, you can use a proven PVA adhesive. It is applied a thin layer on the entire surface and after drying the Kusudama becomes slightly rubberized. The glue must be fresh and liquid enough, and the construction of thick paper, otherwise such a "strengthening" can scrape the whole ball and ruin the color.