Folding the cloth, hanakanzashi

We will now look at how a Japanese apricot blossom hanakanzashi is made. First, the tsumami cloth is cut to the correct size for the flower in question. Small Japanese apricot blossoms require pieces around 2.3 cm square. There is serration of around 16 mm , and the smallest flowers, small chrysanthemums, require pieces of cloth around 1.5 cm square. The biggest flowers, peonies or cherry blossoms, require pieces of around 6 cm square.
Himenori paste (made from rice or wheat cooked until soft) is spread thickly on a Japanese cypress board. The squares of cloth are folded in half twice with tweezers. Next, the points on each side are opened and lined up with the other point to form a triangle. The center of the folded cloth is repositioned with the tweezers, and the cloth is arranged in the shape of a petal. The petals are then placed on the himenori paste.