What is a Braid Sample Exchange? It is a group of our braiders who agree to make samples of braids to share with one another through the mail. The braids can be made on any piece of Japanese kumihimo equipment, marudai, disk, plate, octo plate, takadai, kakudai, ayatakedai, karakumidai).

Each braid sample will be attached to an AKS information sheet. All samples are then mailed to the coordinator who collates the samples and mails each collection back to participants. There is a small fee to cover the return mailing.

Who You! Members at all levels of experience can join. We plan to have a group (or groups) of 6 participants. You will be responsible for braiding a 6” sample for each person in the group plus one for the AKS archives as we would like to showcase our member’s work online.

When –The deadline for this first Exchange will be June 1, 2020. When you register you will be able to download the AKS Braid Exchange information sheet and start braiding your samples. Once all the samples have been received the collections will be mailed to each participant.

Where – This Exchange is open to members in the US only. The fee to participate is $10.00. If you want to participate and you live outside the US contact Janis Saunders, Exchange Coordinator [email protected]. Postage is based on weight and distance; we don’t know what the weight of the exchange package will be but it may cost at least $20.00 to mail overseas. Check with your Customs office to see if there is Value Added Taxes (VAT) or other Customs fees involved.

Why – It is fun to share your work this way and to receive a thick envelope in the mail, drop everything when it arrives so you can sit down to see what others have been braiding. We have chosen “Favorite” as the theme for this first exchange. This gives you an opportunity to work with those braid structures, threads, yarns, beads, color, and finishing techniques that you are comfortable with. In future exchanges, we will choose themes that will stretch your imagination and your skills. There is nothing like holding an actual braid in your hand; Instagram is nice but you can’t turn the braid over to see the back or follow an individual thread on its path, feel its texture or learn how a new-to-you fiber behaves. Exchanges create the opportunity for you to do a small study on your own time schedule to show off a favorite braid or study a new braid structure perhaps using a new thread.

Visit the ONLINE LEARNING page to learn more or sign up and pay for your postage HERE.