Making Japanese and Andean Braids on the Marudai

Dates: November 9 - November 10

Cost per ticket: $285.00

About Class

As those of us who make things by hand know, we can buy yarn, cloth, or cords ready-made, and often we do. But we also take the time to thoughtfully make things in the “old ways”. This might be for the joy of following the process, connections to culture, or because we need a custom item. Making braids on the marudai is one of those skill sets. Personally, did not “need” to add more equipment or books to my collection, but I started out with the goal of making finishes in custom colors for my handwoven garments. And then it all came together on my second attempt. I learned that not only could I make the trims I was longing for, but making braids on the marudai had a wonderful rhythm that could be meditative once I understood the movement of the bobbins for a particular pattern. I could afford to work in luxurious fibers because it was small amounts. And the braids had so many other uses, beyond garments: passementerie, sculpture, jewelry, animal leads, and even slings for herding llamas and alpacas! While I don’t need slings for herding, the techniques used lend themselves to making handbags, tapestry neck pieces, and sculpture which do interest me.

The Marudai is a simple piece of Japanese braiding equipment that allows the making of braids from simple to very complex. It is generally easier than braiding on a card or disk because the bobbins/tama control the tension on the threads, and bobbins are moved in pairs, which reduces errors. For most braiders, memorizing movement patterns is easier than memorizing number sequences.

Beginners will learn to prepare the threads for braiding, attach the bobbins/tama, and learn the basic 8-strand braids on which more complex braids are based. For your first day, you will use the instructions from my video, Beginning Braiding on the Marudai. Students will learn to read and interpret the instructions as well as how to customize them for their particular learning/working style. On day 2 you will be introduced to 16-strand braids. You will need a copy of Rodrick Owen’s book, Braids 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru, and Beyond. This is out of print but is available in E-book form from Taproot Video, or used on the Internet.

Braiders who have some experience will get a refresher and then pick up where they left off.

Students who want to explore using the Core Frame (Stand) are invited to bring or rent one (I have 2 available). The core frame allows the braider to make colors appear and disappear in a braid as threads are exchanged between the working threads and threads that are in a central core.

Students are invited to contact the me beforehand so that I can be ready to help you with particular projects or samples that might interest you.

All students will learn about color interaction and braiding yarns and fibers. This will help you make better choices that will help your braids sing. I will have lots of examples to inspire you. The bonus of an in-person class is that we always learn so much from each other.

Materials List:

Yarns:

• Beginners and Experienced Braiders:
  • Size 10/2 pear cotton will be available in the studio free of charge. If you have particular colors that you want to have on hand, please bring some.
  • The other cotton that works particularly well is 8/2 Embroidery Pearl cotton from DMC, Anchor, or others.
  • Tencel is also a good choice. Some will be available but bring your favorites if you have them
  • Wool – Particularly good for Andean core braids, worsted-spun wool can work well but avoid soft short-staple fibers. Multiple threads of finer wools can be used together to good effect. JaggerSpun Zephyr 50/50 Wool silk is another good choice. Persian-style tapestry yarn also makes lovely braids with a nice sheen. The Glen’s Canadian rug yarn makes braids that are long wearing and that show the pattern well.
  • Weavers may bring thrums if they like and we can see what you can use. Thrums should be at least 18” long for samples.

• Experienced Beginners:
  • For your second braid, you might want to try the pre-cut Japanese silk or synthetic fibers. These are available through BraidersHand and other on-line shops. Before shopping, choose a braid that you want to make. Be sure that the colors that you choose have enough contrast in color value, meaning that one color is distinctly darker and one lighter so that the pattern will be easy to see

Equipment:    Bring your own or rent for the weekend.

• Beginners: a standard or large marudai with 16 standard-sized bobbins of 70g, 85g, or 100g each. If you are shopping, I would suggest getting a standard sized marudai unless you have a specific thing you want to make that would require a larger top. (They are not ergonomically easier to use.) Do not bring extra large bobbins that are used for jewelry. The work for 8-strand braids but make the stand too crowded with 16s.
  • Along with a marudai and bobbins, you will also need the following:
    • A counterbalance bag made of quilting weight cotton. See attached instructions for making your own.
    • Counterbalance weights – see attached weight chart. Bring weights according to the number of bobbins you want to use in the workshop.
    • You will need a ball or skein of old-fashioned bedspread cotton for crochet, or size 10 cotton crochet thread for bobbin leads. It is a 3-ply cotton and is thus sturdier and less prone to breakage than pearl cotton.
    • A double pointed knitting needle about size 4-6 or a chopstick.
  • I will have some equipment available to rent at a fee of $20 per kit. A kit includes a Japanese height marudai, 16-24 bobbins, counterbalance bag, S-hook, and chopstick. You will need to provide a milk crate or similar height box to place it on unless you wish to work on the floor.

Books:             

• I will provide handouts for the five 8-strand braids, four 16-strand braids, and one 20-strand braid that I used in my video.
• You are invited to bring any of the following books that interest you. While there is some overlap, all have unique designs and information not contained in the others:
  • Braids – 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru, and Beyond – Rodrick Owen – 1995, Interweave Press, reprinted by Unicorn, available second hand or as an E-Book https://taprootvideo.com/instructorClasses.jsf?iid=13
  • Andean Sling Braids: New Designs for Textile Artists – Rodrick Owen and Terry Newhouse Flynn – 2016 – Available from Red Stone Glen or independent textile art and book shops. This is one of two volumes on Andean sling braiding. This book has the greatest variety of patterns and a more comprehensive chapter on braiding fibers.
  • Sling Braiding Traditions and Techniques, from Peru, Bolivia and Around the World – 2017 – Rodrick Owen and Terry Newhouse Flynn – Available as above. This volume contains fewer braid designs as it focuses on the unique ways in which slings are made. There is a chapter focusing on beginning and finishing techniques are very useful for braiders making braids from any tradition. The chapter on making a herding sling teaches ways of adding threads to increase and decrease the diameter of a braid as well as transitioning into and out of a length of tapestry woven cloth.
  • Books by Jacqui Carey have good diagrams and great samples of using traditional and non-traditional Japanese fibers. (However, I am not teaching using beads with braids. You can contact The American Kumihimo Society for that.)
  • You may find my video, Beginning Braiding on the Marudai, helpful after class if you need a refresher: https://taprootvideo.com/allClasses.jsf.

Class Cancellations & Refunds

Class Times

All classes run 9am - 5pm unless otherwise indicated in the description above.

Wait List

For class dates that are full, please feel free to call us here at the studio and have your name place on the wait list.

Class Cancellations & Refunds