"Favorite Project for February 2007"

Asian Bargello by Heather Taylor

Assemble several strips of Yuzen Washi in similar shades, with one noticeably lighter or darker strip for contrast. Cut either in straight rows (I use .75") or play around with uneven, straight-edge strips.

Cover a sheet of typing paper with double-sided carpet tape, and cut in 4. Take one fourth and expose the adhesive. Orient the paper so the long end goes from left to right, short end top to bottom. Lay down one strip of paper lengthwise (left to right). Lay a piece of Mizuhiki (very tiny "ropes" of rice paper, sometimes covered with metallic paper) along the bottom of the Yuzen strip. Then follow with a different strip, another length of Mizuhiki, etc., until you reach the bottom. Trim all edges so you have a perfect rectangle. Turn the paper 1/4 turn, and cut across all the strips in .75" strips. You now have little squares separated by Mizuhiki. Continue cutting the rectangle until it's all gone. On another fourth of your taped paper, lay down a strip of squares, and place a contrasting color of Mizuhiki along the bottom edge. Continue by alternating squares to make interesting sequences.

To finish your main bargello panel off, cut into a rectangle approximately 3.25" x 4". Turn it over and add strips of double-sided tape that extend just slightly beyond the edge. On the right side, line all four exterior sides with Mizuhiki to make a nice frame. Layer this onto a contrasting sheet of paper and then onto your cardstock base.

To make the knot, take one length of Mizuhiki cord and form a triple loop. Take one of the ends that are lying under the loops and weave it through the lobe on that side; do the same for the other end. You should now have a fairly secure and stable three-lobed knot. Take two more lengths of Mizuhiki and weave them through the main knot following the same over/under patterns. Affix to the card with E6000. You can also stabilize the ends with a little double-sided tape.
(More complete instructions for a basic knot can be found on the Origami & Crafts of Japan page [http://homepage.powerup.com.au/%7Enspencer/mizu_craft.htm])

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