Kanzashi In Bloom offers an accessible take on a centuries-old Japanese craft, with over 20 projects including accessories, clothing, gifts, and home decor.

The art of Kanzashi begins with squares of fabric. In the traditional form of the craft, it's silk squares. In Kanzashi In Bloom, we use cotton, felted cashmere, denim, vinyl, and tweed.

Each square is then folded into a dimensional petal, using a simple series of origami-like folds. You'll learn to make three petal styles in the book, and them combine them to make endless flower designs.

Once finished, the flowers make perfect embellishments for so many interesting crafts, like the projects pictured here. Soft, fuzzy flowers made from a thrifted sweater adorn a wool scarf. Cheery little cotton flowers become a beautiful garland with the addition of some grosgrain ribbon.

And as you can see, those petals can make more than flowers! Here's they're assembled into adorable butterflies, which dress up some storage jars.

Here's a sampling of other projects in Kanzashi In Bloom:

• Tiny Blossom Earrings
• Flowers-In-Your_Hair Clips
• Dressed-Up Denim Skirt
• Elegant Floral Gift Topper
• Kanzashi Bouquet
• Bloomin' Cute Drawer Knobs

Kanzashi In Bloom is available at local booksellers, or online from Random House or Amazon.com.

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