Kusudama translates to medicine ball. In ancient Japanese culture, the flowers were used for incense or potpourri. Now they're decorations or gifts.
These start as a 3" x 3" square, which is much too small for this big gal. You see, I've got king kong paws that don't do well with delicate things. The only thing that saved me was having long nails. I guess if one didn't have dragon lady claws, you'd have to use a bone folder.
Traditionalists actually sew the folded squares together, instead of using glue or adhesive. I used Sookwang double-sided tape.
One 12" x 12" piece of paper will make three flowers, with one 3" x 3" piece of paper leftover. I'd say it took me an hour to make these three, which would leave some people wondering if I've gone mad, but strangely, it's sort of a meditative act. I've been working on these little projects and experiments in the early morning hours, when Tobe is in bed and after the animals have been fed and cuddled (and thus they're more likely not to be pestering me for food or lovin).
If you want to try your hand at one or a hundred, check out this easy tutorial: kusudama
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