became an avid kumihimo braider in 2016 when stuck on the couch for 7 months recovering from multiple foot surgeries. Earlier that year I discovered kumihimo braiding so grabbed some satin cord and ribbon and made basic cords which were pretty – not really nothing about this craft I thoroughly enjoyed the repetitive movements and end results. Exploring designs and different teachers on YouTube helped me start researching this ancient Japanese craft, then disccovored The American Kumihimo Society.
Kumihimo continues evolving in modern times with the braiding of obijime used to decorate Kimonos and more recently in jewelry done with delicate silk or metallic fibers and also now with various glass beads. In 2020 with a move to Maui we found ourselves surrounded by so much natural inspiration and beauty. From those early days when the world stood still I leaned into my braiding and began experimenting with all sorts of different shaped glass beads, pearls, sea urchin spikes, and wooden beads. My design world immediately erupted with a newly focused creative mind and now five years later continue with new designs and creative experimentation. As you look to form of art you may find something you too are attracted to. I opened up a website in late 2022 and sell mostly Hawaiian style Forever Glass Beaded Lei which are extremely popular with locals and visitors – the company is Akalei Designs which in Hawaiian is Glass Bead Reflections.. For additional information about Kumihimo take a look at the resources below:
Here is a quick introduction: Fun Facts by Interweave
https://www.interweave.com/article/beading/kumihimo-origin-facts
Trends in Japan:
https://web-japan.org/trends/11_fashion/fas202009_traditional-craft-braid.html
The World of Kumihimo
Beadaholique is well known source for beginners:
https://beadaholique.com/blogs/techniques-guides/kumihimo-101-how-to-kumihimo
My First Inspiration is from Design and Adorn:
If you are a beginner I suggest you first start off with a Kumihimo foam disk before purchasing the more expense Marudai stand which is what I use in most of my creations. This is a basic introduction to kumihimo braiding:
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