Koinobori

by fqiu

Koi-nobori means “koi rising” in Japanese. They are koi-shaped wind socks traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Tango no Sekku, also known as Children’s Day. From April to early May, landscapes across Japan are decorated with koinobori.

Since it is spring time, I thought it would be a cool project to make my own koinobori, incorporating the koi in an embroidery design.

I created a design using a voronoi program in processing and illustrator. Here it is:

Here’s the embroidery machine creating the stitches:

Here’s the finished product:

I then sewed the fabric in a tube shape and also sewed on a top and bottom to create a more finished look.

I wanted the steamer to light up as the koinobori gets  blown back and forth. It would be a great representation of the koinobori during the night time.

Here’s the circuitry:

Here’s the finished product:

Koinobori in action:

https://vimeo.com/41708267