Technique: Kimekomi (Or New Sew Fabric)
Materials:
styrofoam ball
fabric
cord, braid etc
paper
piece of string
Tools:
orange stick (cuticle stick)
scissors
ruler
scalpel
compass
Long before it had the name Kimekomi, I had seen fabric Christmas ornaments at fetes and fairs. Now that it has the name Kimekomi there are of course specialized tools you can buy, but it's not necessary at all.
Firstly, wrap a piece of string around the middle of your styrofoam ball to measure the circumference. Whatever length it is, divide that by six, and mark that on your string. Your ball should have a mould line, a straight line around the circumference. Using the string, mark the 6 segments around the mould line.
There are lots of tutorial videos to show you how to segment Kimekomi balls, this is just how I do it. Using your string, make marks around the ball, then with a pencil, join opposite marks, like a dot to dot around a ball. This should create six evenly spaced segments around the ball, like an orange.
Set your compass to the same width as the segments, and starting at lines that intersect begin drawing circles around your ball. Rather than give you a specific pattern direction, I encourage you to draw circles on the ball until you find a pattern you are happy with. The larger the pattern segments the easier the ball will be to construct, so bear that in mind. I will often have many circles overlapping before I find a pattern that repeats that I like. When I did find the pattern I wanted, I outlined the score lines in red, so that it was clear which lines I needed to score.
Score each of these lines lightly with a scalpel, you want to cut down about 1/4" of an inch.
Start with one colour of fabric and cut a piece that is going to be just a bit larger than the segment you wish to cover (you can trim this as you tuck so its better to be generous than skimpy here). Hold firmly in the centre of the fabric and using the cuticle stick, tuck one edge into the groove, and then the other, working each side evenly so that the fabric remains true and doesn't distort and end up uneven. Tuck the points in and trim any excess fabric if necessary. Continue in this manner until all six wedges of fabric have been used.
Chose a cord or braid that compliments your fabric. If using a thin cord this will sit neatly into the channels, and the ends will tuck into the ball nicely. Braid is thicker and will sit over the channel, you can use glue or decorative pins to secure this in place. The same process applies to the hanger. You can push some cord into the top of the ornament with a skewer, or use a decorative pin to secure a loop of braid to the top.
