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Yubinuki - Tutorial 3: Preparing the Core for Sewing

9/30/2018

Wow, we are now ready to sew our first yubinuki! Or are we?

Before actually sewing the yubinuki, the core must be prepared with the padding and the pattern to be sewn.
To start gather you material, tools and supplies:

Core
Padding
Pattern Division Tool
Mandrel (Support Tube)
Plain Paper
Painters Tape
Clear Adhesive tape
Cotton sewing thread and needle
Marking Pen/Pencil
Scissors for cutting threads (I never use my good "fabric" scissors for cutting paper!!!)
Scissors or Rotary Cutter for cutting paper
Ruler with millimeter markings

NOTE: There are two ways to apply the padding and the pattern, The option you use is your choice. The first choice (Option A) is described first. The second choice (Option B) is described afterwards.

Step 1 Option A - Wind Padding on to the Core

Put the core on the support mandrel
Take your padding, I am using tencel spinning fiber.
Wind the padding around the core, in the center and away from the edges.
NOTE: The more padding you add, the more rounded/domed your yubinuki will be and since the first one you sew really won't look that good, when you are done, don't add a much.
Take the sewing thread and the needle and sew the herring bone stitch, as you learned when making a core, across the padding and around the core. This will hold the padding down.

Step 2 Option A - Measure and Mark Pattern
The pattern you will sew will be very easy, one color, in one direction. We are doing this to not only to learn how to sew but to evenly space our stitches; which is not easy and if you are not careful will result in gaps. This will be covered in more detail in the actual sewing post

Using the plain paper, cut a strip that is 1 cm (10 mm) wide.
Wrap the paper around the core and the padding and mark where the end overlaps.
Remove the paper and add a small amount to the paper, beyond where you marked and then cut at this line. This extra area is so you can overlap the paper when applied to the core. You now have the paper for your pattern.
On one side, mark an arrow at one corner such as the left upper.
Then mark another arrow at the other corner, on the same side, upper right.
Take the Paper Division Tool and lay the pattern paper on it, diagonally.
NOTE: To make our sewing easy we are marking a pattern with 10 divisions. If you want write 1 - 10 in between 11 eleven lines.
Put one corner on a line, mine is placed on line zero.
Place the opposite corner on line 11, so you paper spans 10 divisions.
Use a small piece of painters tape to hold the pattern paper in place.
Place a tick mark at each line along one edge.
Rotate the pattern paper and do the same on the other edge.
Take your ruler a connect the tick marks from each edge, make sure your lines are at 90 degrees to the long edge and that your lines are parallel to each other. This will ensure you have evenly spaced lines. HINT: Use your mm ruler to verify this.
One one line mark a big dot by a division, I use red so I can easily see it. This dot is used to denote where your stitching starts.
Then draw arrows, these will be used, while sewing to guide your sewing direction.

Step 3 Option A - Apply Pattern to the Core

Cut a small piece of painters tape and place it at the end of the paper where the overlap will occur, on the marked pattern paper.
Place the marked pattern paper and lay it on the core, with the padding, ON TOP of the padding and again, centered.
NOTE: is does not matter if the arrows point left or right as the marked core will be turned over and back while sewing.
Tape the two ends together, using the clear adhesive tape for this, such that there is NO gap.
Take the sewing thread and needle and using the herringbone stitch, once again, sew the patter paper down so it won't shift. I take a stitch at a line, then the next stitch is on the other edge, one mark over and I go around twice so there are stitches at each mark on the top and bottom edge.

Now, we are ready to SEW!!

Option B
Option B has the exact same steps as Option A but they are done in a different order. To follow this option the steps would be
Step 1 - Measure and Mark the Pattern (refer to Step 2 Option A above).
Step 2 - Apply Pattern to the Core (refer to Step 3 Option A above).
Step 3 - Apply Padding to the Core ( (refer to Step 1 Option A above).
Here are some more pictures to help you see the difference.

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Yubinuki - Tutorial 2: Make a Pattern Division Tool

9/22/2018

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Before you can start sewing a yubinuki design, the pattern guide has be create so it can be used to mark where the design is to be sewn. But how to make the divisions on the pattern guide can be difficult. WHY?

IF your cores vary in size, each time you measure the outer (surface) circumference, it will be easy to take that measurement and divide it using a calculator but if the length of each division has fractions of millimeters actually marking the division lines on the pattern guide will be difficult.

Well, using a division template, removes the math and hassle. Shh, this works due to geometry!
The three basic division grids you need are 1 cm, 5 mm, and 2.5 mm and now will tell you how to make a 5mm grid of your own and then you can make any size you want.

There are several ways to make a division grid.
Hand Drawn:

Take a piece of 8.5" by 11" paper, orient it so the 11 inches is horizontal.
From the top edge, measure down 1" on the left and right side and make a mark.
Using a ruler, draw a line across.
Now mark the left and right sides every 5 mm and then draw lines across.
Either laminate the page or slip it into a protective sleeve so when it is used, it stays mark free.

Computer Drawn:

Open your word processing program and set the page orientation to landscape.
Insert/add a table to the page that is 1 column and many rows, have the rows fill the page.
Change the table properties to have the row height be exactly 5 mm. If required you might have to change the options to measure in millimeters vs. inches if that is the default.
Set the table properties to also have a thin border of black, so when it prints the border lines are visible
Save the document, now you can print one when ever it is needed.

The next tutorial will be how to take the the core and add the padding, mark the pattern guide using the division tool, and sew a simple design.

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Yubinuki - Tutorial 1: Making a Core

9/9/2018

YES, Finally a real tutorial!

Making a core or base takes several steps, but before we do that a decision must be made as to what finger the yubinuki will be worn on and where on the finger it will be worn. Traditionally a Yubinuki was worn on the middle finger between the first and second joint as shown in the picture on left. The other place the yubinuki can be worn is where the finger meets the hand, for example on the middle finger (right picture) and it can still be used as a thimble but it can also be worn as a ring even on what we call the ring finger.

NOTE: all images can be opened, to be larger, by clicking on the image and from there you can scroll backwards and forwards, in the series.

STEP 1 Measuring for the Core:
To measure for the size of the core, wrap a tape measure around the finger depending on where it is to be worn. We are actually measuring the circumference which is the length of the "circle" .

If worn as a ring: Measure the finger joint that the Yubinuki must pass over
If worn as a thimble: Measure the finger just in front of the finger joint, if on the middle finger or ring finger, measure at the joint it must pass over.

The following images correspond to taking the measurement for the locations discussed above.
Write YOUR measurement DOWN! For this tutorial, I will be using the measurement from the first location, on the middle finger, before the joint. MY measurement is 56 mm but to ensure the Yubinuki does not move too much I am going with 55 mm.

STEP 2 Make the Support Mandrel:
Take a piece of regular paper and cut the paper in half so it is half the width but still full length.

Measure and draw a line horizontally, from the bottom edge of the paper, the number of millimeters that were measured with the tape measure. Make an arrow at the bottom edge and at the line.

Now from the top roll a tube (the extra thickness of the paper rolled inside will support the tube and the core as it is being made). Adjust the tube making it tighter or looser, so the bottom edge and arrow meets the drawn line and the arrows meet.

Tape the tube closed at the top and bottom. Measure the circumference of the tube and adjust to make it the measurement that is required. I rolled mine to 54 mm so when I add a layer of painters tape, it results in a measurement of 55 mm. Then write the size of the tube on one end so I can reuse the tube later and know what the measurement is.

STEP 3 Cut the material for the Lining:
Take your lining material (see other post for what to use) and cut it to length. Cut the material so it is 30 to 35 mm wide by xx mm's in length. What length is xx you ask? That length is found by adding the finger measurement taken earlier + 15 mm's (or more), to overlap so there isn't a raw edge on the inside surface of the yubinuki, this will become very apparent in the final assembly. That is the length you need. The length I cut to was 66 mm (55 mm + 3 mm + 12 mm). Once it is cut to length, mark a 3 mm line from one end, then fold it at that line and either press it or finger press it and get a good firm crease. Set this aside for the assembly which is coming up.

STEP 4 Cut the Card Stock for inside the Core:
Take your card stock (paper) and cut it 11 mm wide and at least twice if not 4+ times the length of the finger measurement. The longer the strip means there will be more wraps thus making a thicker core, this thickness is to the outside of your finger because the support mandrel (tube) keeps the inside measurement from changing. Since I am using a J. Peterman Co. catalog for this tutorial, the length of the strip is 260 mm which is more than 4 times my finger measurement. Remember that as the card stock is wrapped, it will add thickness which is why the overall length must be MORE than just one length of the measurement. Yes, I use a rotary cutter, mat and ruler to cut my card stock.

STEP 5 Assemble the Core Layers:
Take the support mandrel and put the fabric on the mandrel so the "inside" of the fabric (the fold is visible on this side) is towards you and the outside is against the mandrel - the outside surface is what will be against the finger. Put down the folded end first and then wrap the extra around so the extra length, overlaps the folded edge. The fabric should be snug but not too tight. Using small pieces of tape, tape the fabric edge down to the fabric beneath it; only tape the center between the top and bottom edges.

Lay the card stock on the fabric, on the mandrel. Position the paper so it is centered vertically between the top and bottom edges of the fabric and place the edge of the paper on the side opposite the folded and taped fabric ends. Take a small piece of tape and tape the the end to the fabric to hold it in place and again, do not place it on the fold, do it on the opposite side as this will help keep the thickness even. Now wrap the paper around, at least 2 or more times. Once again take a small piece of tape and tape the end down so it can't un-roll. Adjust the edges of the card stock so they are all even to create a nice clean edge along the top and bottom. I use painters tape so I can easily re position it if I need to make adjustments

Next the extra fabric at the top or the bottom of the card stock roll and fold/pull it over to cover the card stock. Do this with your fingers or a needle. Next take the extra fabric at the other edge and fold it over the paper such that the fabric at the not only cover the paper but overlaps the other edge of the lining fabric

This is where that extra length of your lining comes in. IF your fabric is not long enough, the overlap will spread and separate revealing a raw edge on the inside; this is why it is important to add that extra. And since the roll of card stock is thick, having the fabric cut on the bias allows the fabric to stretch during the process of folding the fabric over.

As needed use a needle to pull the fabric towards the center so the fabric meets the edges of the card stock core.

STEP 6 Sew the Core Together:
Take the sewing needle and cotton thread and thread the needle with an arms length of thread and have the thread so it is 1/3 and 2/3 through the eye of the needle. Knot only ONE end of the thread as the sewing will be done with a single thread. Now use a herring bone stitch to sew the material overlap together (see first picture below)

This is a video that shows how to stitch the herring bone stitch... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHkB_iadptA

When stitching, you need to make sure you catch the overlapped edges under the stitching. When sewing the herringbone stitch, especially on the folder edge, make sure to go down to the card stock; at the fold you will be going through 3 layers. Do two rounds of herringbone stitch, the first close to the overlap the second round, further out; making sure to also pull the thread to get the fabric tighter and thus smoother on the inside surface, that will be against the finger.

FINAL STEP: Slide the core off the tube and try it on! Congratulations, the core for a yubinuki has been completed.

In the next tutorial we will make a tools that will allow us to divide our pattern evenly without doing MATH.

Yubinuki - Material Sources

9/1/2018

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NOTE: This post was originally posted over on my personal website.

In the prior post about materials, I wrote about what types and sizes of thread to use to make yubinuki. In this post I will tell you my sources for them.

Threads are very particular to the user; I like cotton and silk and if I could I would use silk all the time. But I also have used polyester, poly/cotton, soy, linen, bamboo, and Tencel. Threads for making Yubinuki can be found almost anywhere provided you are willing to look and try them. Having a background in sewing/weaving/knitting I go to Fiber Festivals around the area where I live and I look for threads and yarns that are lace weight, that could be used for making yubinuki; that is how I recently found the silk thread supplier (below) and silk lace weigh yarns. Go to knitting store as the fine threads for crochet (size 30 and 80) are also good to use. Additionally go to needlepoint, embroidery, cross-stitch and other hand sewing stores who stock not only the big name manufacturers of threads but some of these smaller makers too.

Then of course there is the web! You can search and find suppliers of threads from around the world, you just have to look and Google will be your friend! And do not rule out eBay, Etsy or Amazon as possible sources. It was via eBay that I picked up some silk floss and perle from Japan and I am still looking for online stores to source more from.

Now I am going to point you to some of the on-line vendors that I use for various threads. Yes; I now there are others but these are the places I like to use and none are local or big box stores.

123 Stitch: They have flosses and perle cottons in many sizes and fibers.
Herrschners: Also a good selection of threads and you can sign up for their catalog.
Needlepoint Joint: They have tatting, bobbing lace, needlework, crochet, weaving, and knitting threads/yarns.
Tatting Corner: A good selection of smaller diameter threads from various manufacturers around the world.
Phoenix Fiber Mill: I discovered their silk thread at a local fiber festival. The silk thread is NOT on their website but you can email them at [email protected]. They supply silk in spools of 23 grams each, which is approximately 550 yards or an assortment of 5 bobbins with 40 yards on each bobbin equalling 200 yards total. I sent them pictures (from the DMC website) of the colors I was looking for, which they kinda matched and sent back pictures so I could confirm the colors. Each spool costs $10.00 and the 5 bobbin assortment costs $6.00.

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Yubinuki - Tutorial 3: Preparing the Core for Sewing

Yubinuki - Tutorial 2: Make a Pattern Division Tool

Yubinuki - Tutorial 1: Making a Core

Yubinuki - Material Sources

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