Making a Kimekomi (Tucked Fabric) and Sequins Shamrock Ornament
This time-lapse was recorded in 2012 in SD and is best viewed on a small screen or browser window.
Tools and Materials
ballpoint pen
paper
measuring tape
craft knife
glue stick
craft glue
liquid white out
tucking tool
7 cm foam ball
quilt batting
solid bright green cotton fabric
shamrock patterned cotton fabric
green satin ribbon in several shades of green
Two pearl-headed pins
Two green beads
bright green 5 mm sequins
3/4 inch sequin pins*
5 mm green shamrock sequins
0/15 seed beads*
*purchased at Cartwright’s
Instructions
Divide your ball into four equal sections. (Optional: Trace around the equator mold line.)
Cut out a paper heart about 3 to 4 centimeters tall.
On one of the dividing lines, at the point where the line and equator line meet, trace the heart three times to create a shamrock shape. You can center the shamrock north and south, or you can do it off-center like I did.
White out the dividing lines inside each heart.
Repeat steps 1-5 on the opposite side of the ball.
Cut the shamrocks with your craft knife.
Using your paper heart as a cutting pattern, cut out six hearts of quilt batting.
Then, cut out six hearts of solid green fabric. The fabric hearts should be about 1 cm larger all around than your paper heart.
With your glue stick, glue a piece of batting over one of the heart shapes in the shamrock.
Lay a piece of solid green fabric over the top and tuck the edges into the foam. Repeat this for all heart shapes until your shamrocks are covered.
Cut the remaining vertical lines on the ball.
Lay the patterned fabric over each of the remaining four sections and tuck it into the foam. This is quite difficult since you must tuck around the shamrock. It’s best to tuck and cut as you go.
Once all of your fabric is in place, pin sequins around the shamrocks, thread one seed bead onto a 3/4 inch sequin pin, and then a green sequin. Dip in glue and pin to the seam.
Don’t forget to create a stem for your shamrocks with sequins.
With the shamrock sequins, pin them around the large shamrocks over the patterned fabric at random.
Thread a bead onto a pearl-headed pin, then the hanging ribbon, and then the bow, in that order. Create the bow using two loops of each shade of green ribbon you have. I made a 14-looped bow. Dip the pin in glue and pin it to the top of the ball.
Last, add the bottom cap using a bead and a corsage pin.
