OK. Sometimes I forget that you don't always know what I am talking about. Yesterday, Heather asked, "What is bunka?". For Heather and others that might not know about this Japanese thread, I am going off on a tangent today. It is a really great tool to have if you do a lot of your own minis.Bunka was originally used for a kind of Japanese punch needle type of embroidery. People still do it, but I have never tried it.
It is a rayon thread that is somehow knit and when you pull on the end, it unravels into this really neat wrinkly strand. It should be pulled out as you use it. It is best to store it un-pulled, still on the card.
The above zebra skin rug is a finished example. The "hooked" rug beside it is in progress. I started it and put it down a year or 5 ago...Yup. The six year old's attention span strikes again. In my defence, this is the second one of that design....I finished it once already.
Anyway, this is how you make bunka rugs. http://caseymini.blogspot.com/search?q=bunka+rug There are a few entries on how to do it.
You can also make buds on mini flowers in pots, among other things.
One of my favorite uses of it is for cording on soft furnishings like the Chinese Chippendale Cornice in the previous entry.
Tessie's favorite use is for trims on clothing and hats. The one that she is wearing has leaves of bunka. The peach silk that she is holding has white bunka around the top of the crown and the edge.
The three around her feet are corded around the edge and crown with it and all have some filler flowers and leaves of bunka.
The last example is one of my beds. There is white bunka around the tufted silk headboard. The lavender floral fillers are all bunka. The only flowers are the silk roses. The rest is illusion.
I rest my case. Bunka is a really good thing to have on hand. It comes in many colors. It just depends on where you order, what colors are available. I usually purchase mine at mini shows, where I can see the selection. I just counted the ones that I have. I have 91 cards, counting the ones with metallic thread in them. I have a few duplicates of colors I use a lot, but not many. The colors vary from company to company. A lot of mine are YLI or KAO.
If you go on line and put "bunka thread" in your" search", you will find a lot of sources. The first one that came up for me this morning was YLI. I like their bunka and also their silk ribbon. This is not an ad. I am just saying that it is readily available and works for me. I have never ordered directly, but know some people that have and seem to be satisfied.
Anyway, go find some bunka and unravel it. That's the most fun part of the project. Watch it expand!
Thanks for the votes. Please do it again!
See you tomorrow with more curtains.
9 comments:
91 cards of bunka, 96 tangles in the box! The fact that you count these things fasinates me! LOL
Kathi, the counting is explainable...I worked as an inventory clerk for a couple of years before they had computers to do that kind of thing....In of all places, an electronics wholesale store.Resistors, transistors, etc. I have never gotten out of the habit of counting things...I even count weeds when I pull them. Quirky, but fun.
Oh amnd there are 98 compartments in the tangle box...You missed the two down in the right hand corner.LOL
Opps. 98 tanglesin the box! LOL
Now counting weeds!!! That's crazy!
Kathi,it all depends on the point of view... For me, it's perfectly normal!LOL
I know where you're coming from, Casey. Sometimes I go on a counting roll and I count the plates as I dry them, the cutlery, the steps required to make my bed, the clothes as I fold them in their different categories, etc. I always wondered why I sometimes do this. I also used to do inventories. Maybe that's when it started. Can't remember. Such a long time ago!
Oh! les broderies sont superbes, les chapeaux aussi !
Lucille, I know that is where my counting started. When I was working there, I used to even have dreams where I counted things...Weird?
I like these hats.
Bye Faby
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