Introducing Joji, my fourth Christmas tree decoration. He is part of my pinecone craft series in Japanese style. Of which, I’d share the basic techniques of Chirimen Zaiku (ちりめん細工/Crepe Handicrafts) that I learn from books. Okay, here is how I make my chirimen pinecone monkey. Step by step, here we go!
Sewing the Bib
I decided to make the bib for my monkey first. Like his predecessors (Dolly, Piney, & Bunny), I used my leftover Christmas fleece.
1. The fleece fabric was going to be the strings of the bib. It measured 2.5 x 23 cm. I folded it into halves and stitched it this way (see picture). Then, I turned it inside out and stitched up the opening. (Note: it took a while to turn the fleece inside out. I would recommend other types of fabric for this purpose instead.)
2. The chirimen fabric is 10 x 5.5 cm. I folded it into halves as well and drew the shape on the wrong side of the fabric.
3. After cutting it, this is how I stitched it and left an opening.
4. Then I turned it inside out and attached it to the fleece. I also added a little bell to it, to give it an extra Christmassy feel.
Sewing the Body
This is the classic way that monkeys are sewed in Chirimen Zaiku.
1. First, I used a piece of 11 x 13 cm chirimen fabric.
2. I sewed according to the markings. Red in one group, green in another.
3. Next, I stitched up the corners, leaving the middle part unstitched.
4. Through the opening, I inverted the right side out.
5. I stuffed some batting into the body using a waribashi (wooden chopsticks).
6. Once I was happy with the volume, I stitched up the opening.
Sewing the Head
1. I used a piece of chirimen fabric (6-cm in diameter) for the head. I stitched around it like a pull string bag. Next, I stuffed battings into it before I pulled-shut the opening.
2. For the face, I drew its shape on a piece of thick paper and cut it out.
3. I glued a small amount of batting on it and covered it with another piece of chirimen. A technique used in Oshie Craft.
4. For the ears, I used four small pieces of crepe fabric, two different colors in each group. I sewed them along the lines, then turned them inside out.
5. Next, I sewed the ears to the head.
6. For Joji’s mouth and nose, I used brown floss and black beads for his eyes.
7. I sewed his head to his body and tied the bib around his neck before I glued his face on.
8. Then, I used a red wax crayon to color his cheeks.
Adding a Tail and String
1. I used a 7.5 x 3 cm chirimen for the tail. Like the fleece (strings of the bib), I folded it into halves, sewed along the sides (see above picture).
2. Then I turned it inside out.
3. At the opening, I pushed the fabric in a bit more to keep the unsightly frays at bay.
4. Then, I sewed the tail onto the body and added a red string (21.5 cm long). I glued its knots underneath the bib to prevent them from moving too much.
Painting the Pinecone
For this project, I purposely chose a really small pinecone for Joji to hold. By the way, my pinecones were baked before I used them for crafts. Here is how I baked them.
To make the colors vibrant, I first painted the little pinecone with white acrylic paint as a base. Once it was completely dry, I added the red acrylic. As a final step, I glued it to my monkey an hour later. Presenting…
Joji the Curious Pinecone Monkey!
