Kinusaiga Christmas ornaments

Two kinds of ornament

• Flat kinusaiga ornaments: a small disc or square of foam board, 3 to 4 in (75 to 100 mm) across, with a simple picture of three to eight pieces (a tree, a star, a bauble, a heart). The edge is wrapped in fabric, the back is covered with felt, and a ribbon loop hangs it. This is kinusaiga in miniature.
• Kimekomi balls: a round foam ball divided into segments like a beach ball, each segment covered with a different fabric, with ribbon over the seams. This is the older Japanese technique, kimekomi, which kinusaiga grew from (see kinusaiga vs kimekomi). They are sometimes sold as "no-sew quilted ornaments".

Both use exactly the same gesture as a kinusaiga picture: score a groove, lay the fabric, push its edges in. If you have never tried it, read the step-by-step guide first; it takes five minutes.

What you need

About the balls: most craft foam balls are bead foam, the material we advise against for flat boards. Balls are moulded much smoother and denser than packaging foam, and kimekomi makers use them all the time, but quality varies: pick the smoothest, firmest balls you can find, often labelled "smooth" or "high density". They cut cleaner and crumble less.

Flat kinusaiga ornaments, step by step

1. Cut the blank. Trace a mug, a jar lid or a 3 to 4 in circle template on 1/2 to 3/4 in XPS foam board (squares, stars and hearts work too). Cut straight down with a craft knife in several light passes, then smooth the edge with fine sandpaper.
2. Draw the design. Keep it simple: three to eight pieces with no shape narrower than about 3/8 in (1 cm). A tree on a plain background, a star, a striped bauble, a heart, a snowflake made of a few wedges. You can also print the 5 in cut map of a simple pattern at 80 % to get a 4 in ornament.
3. Score the grooves about 1/8 in (3 mm) deep through the paper, as for any kinusaiga. Then score one more groove around the middle of the edge, all the way round the side of the disc: the rim groove.
4. Tuck the picture, background first, details last, with a 1/4 in (6 mm) margin trimmed to about 1/8 in (3 mm) before the final tuck. Use thin cotton: there is little room on a small board.
5. Wrap the edge. Pieces that reach the outer edge go over the side and are tucked into the rim groove. On a circle, snip the margin every 1/4 in (6 mm) so it folds round without pleats. Or cut one border strip and tuck it into an outer frame groove and the rim groove.
6. Add the loop and back. Fold about 7 in (18 cm) of ribbon in half and glue the ends to the back at the top. Cut a circle of felt slightly smaller than the ornament and glue it over the back, covering the ribbon ends and any fabric that wraps round.
7. Trim the rim (optional): glue a cord, ribbon or rickrack into or over the rim groove for a clean finish.

Kimekomi balls, step by step

1. Mark the poles. Many foam balls have a faint moulding line around the middle: that is your equator. Push a pin into the top, then another exactly opposite, at the bottom. Check by eye from several sides.
2. Place the rubber bands. Stretch a rubber band around the ball through both pins. A second band at right angles gives 4 segments; three bands evenly spaced give 6; four give 8. To space them evenly, wrap a strip of paper around the equator, cut it to length, fold it in 4, 6 or 8, and mark the folds on the ball. Each band passes through one mark on each side.
3. Draw and score. Draw along each band with a pencil, remove the bands, then cut along every line with a craft knife, about 1/8 in (3 mm) deep, holding the blade straight towards the centre of the ball. Near the poles, where the lines meet, cut shallower: the foam between the grooves is narrow there and can break off.
4. Cut the fabric. Each segment is an "orange slice". Cut one rectangle per segment using the chart below, or lay a piece of paper on a segment, trace its grooves and add 1/4 in (6 mm) all round for a template.
5. Tuck each segment. Lay the fabric on its segment and tuck one long edge into its groove, starting at the equator and working towards each pole. Then smooth the fabric across and tuck the other long edge the same way, keeping it taut. Trim the excess as you go, as close to the groove as you can, and push the ends into the meeting point at each pole. Repeat around the ball, sharing each groove with the next fabric.
6. Add the ribbon and hanger. See below.

Fabric sizes for kimekomi balls

Each segment runs from pole to pole, so its length is half the ball's circumference. Its width at the equator is the circumference divided by the number of segments. The chart adds 1/4 in (6 mm) on every side for the tuck, rounded up.

A charm square (5 in) is a little short for a 3 in ball, so use strips: for a 3 in ball, a 2 1/2 in jelly roll strip gives 6- or 8-segment pieces with almost no waste. More on choosing fabric in choosing fabric for kinusaiga.

Ribbons, trims and hangers

• Over the grooves: glue a narrow ribbon, 1/8 to 3/8 in (3 to 10 mm) wide, along each groove line from pole to pole. It hides the joins and any stray threads. Metallic ribbon, velvet ribbon, rickrack, braid and gold cord all work. Use tacky glue in a thin line, or a low-temperature glue gun.
• At the poles: where the ribbons meet, push in a sequin pin or a pearl-head pin, or glue on a small bead cap, flat-back gem or tiny bow.
• The hanger: fold about 7 in (18 cm) of ribbon into a loop, pin both ends into the top pole with a dab of glue on the pin, then cover with a bow or bead cap. A pin alone pulls out over time; the glue is what makes it last.
• Extras: a tassel or a bead pinned at the bottom pole, or a ribbon tied around the equator for a "gift-wrapped" look.

Avoid high-temperature hot glue: it can melt polystyrene and leave a dent. On flat ornaments, glue only on the back and the rim, never on the picture.

Tips for neat ornaments

• Use thin, tightly woven fabric. Quilting cotton and metallic quilting prints are perfect. Velvet and felt look festive but are thick: use them for one segment or one accent, not for neighbours.
• Small prints only. On a 3 in ball, a large motif just looks like random patches of colour.
• Iron everything, and use a little spray starch on silk or very soft fabric.
• Keep the knife sharp. Curved foam tears easily with a dull blade; snap or change it often.
• A narrow tucking tool, like a small flat screwdriver or a palette knife, works better on a curved ball than a wide butter knife.
• Make a batch. Score all the balls, then cut all the fabric, then tuck: it goes faster and the set matches.
• Date the back. Write the year with a fabric pen on the felt of flat ornaments: future you will be glad.

Christmas patterns to try

Once you have made a few ornaments, the same fabrics make a lovely framed piece for the season. All our Christmas kinusaiga patterns are free, with a colour guide and cut maps for 8, 6 and 5 in boards:

• Three Christmas Baubles: striped baubles on a pine branch, the flat cousin of a kimekomi ball, and a great scrap-buster.
• Christmas Tree with Star: the classic, easy to adapt with your own festive prints.
• Scandinavian Christmas Gnome: big simple shapes and a lot of charm.
• Snowman with Scarf: a good place to try felt for the snow.
• Christmas Stocking: only 11 pieces, and simple enough to print small for a flat ornament.

For flat ornaments, simple designs like the heart or the friendship star quilt block scale down well.