Kinusaiga supplies: the complete list

The checklist

The board

The best base for kinusaiga is extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation foam: the rigid pink or blue panels sold in hardware stores. It is dense, it cuts cleanly, and a groove in it grips fabric firmly. Choose a panel at least 1/2 in (12 mm) thick; 3/4 to 1 in is ideal. One full sheet gives dozens of 8 x 8 in boards.

Avoid the white beaded foam used for packaging (it crumbles), and expect less grip from thin paper-faced foam core. All the options are compared in the foam board guide.

A sharp craft knife

A pencil-style craft knife with a fine pointed blade (the #11 type) gives the most control on curves. Buy a pack of spare blades: foam dulls them faster than you would think, and a dull blade tears grooves instead of cutting them. A snap-off utility knife is fine for cutting the board to size.

A tucking tool

The tool pushes fabric into the grooves without cutting it, so it must be thin, flat and blunt. Purpose-made kinusaiga and kimekomi tools look like a small spatula with a slightly rounded tip. Before buying one, try what you have: a butter knife, a letter opener, a small palette knife, a nail file, a bone folder or the tip of a seam ripper. Comparisons and tips in kinusaiga tools.

Fabric

Thin, tightly woven quilting cotton is the easiest fabric to tuck: it holds a crease and doesn't fray much. Scraps are enough: each piece only needs to be its shape plus about 1/4 in all round. For an 8 x 8 in pattern, a fat quarter of the background colour and scraps for everything else will do. Choose fabrics with clear contrast between neighbouring pieces. More in choosing fabric.

Adhesive sheets (optional)

Many makers stick a double-sided adhesive sheet on the board before scoring. You score through it, then peel its liner one piece at a time: each fabric stays exactly where you lay it while you tuck. Traditional kinusaiga uses no adhesive at all, and you don't need it for small pieces, but it makes large shapes and slippery fabrics much easier for beginners.

A pattern

Any drawing made of closed shapes can become a kinusaiga, but a pattern drawn for it saves a lot of trouble: shapes big enough to tuck, no slivers, and a numbered colour guide. Every pattern on this site is free, with true-scale cut maps for 8, 6 and 5 inch boards in US Letter and A4.

Useful extras

• A cutting mat under the board, so you can score right to the edges.
• Small embroidery scissors for trimming margins before the last tuck.
• A pencil to number the pieces on the foam once the paper is off.
• An iron: pressed fabric gives much cleaner results.
• A deep frame (shadow box) to finish the piece: see framing.

What it costs

If you already have scissors and fabric, starting costs about $15 to $30: a sheet of insulation foam and a craft knife with spare blades. That sheet will last for many projects, which makes each board cost cents. Kits are convenient for a first try or a gift, but they cost more per piece and you don't choose the design or the fabrics: see what to look for in a kit.

Got everything? Follow the step-by-step guide with one of the beginner patterns.