Frances Tee


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francestee/


Hello, my name is Frances. I am Chinese and grew up in the Philippines, and now live in the United States. Since I was young, I’ve always enjoyed crafting and making things by hand. I also held a fascination for the Japanese aesthetic and design.


I work as an educator, teaching Math, Computer Science in middle school and high school as well as social partner dancing to adults. I am also life- long student. I love the process of learning and making things, and have explored different art forms and crafts: photography, glass blowing, knitting, and crochet (to name a few). In this digital age, where it’s so easy to connect to a device to pass the time, the process of creating something physical with my hands is gratifying and rewarding. Immersing in craft and art is a way to express my creativity and allows me to reconnect and ground myself when things get stressful or chaotic. It is also another way to find community with other people who do the same, or would like to learn how. Tsumami Zaiku is something that brings together many of the things I’ve learned and enjoy: folding from origami, working with fabric from sewing, and personalizing to create pieces.

Reasons you applied the teacher`s certification 


I learned about Tsumami Zaiku through a friend who wanted help with making small hair clips to sell at a gift shop during Bon Odori in 2022. We met once every few weeks over the summer and learned together. I was also able to combine my knowledge of felting to make bunnies and small Totoros to accompany the flowers we folded.

I wanted to take a deeper dive and learn more about its history and the traditional way of making pieces. I researched online and discovered the Tsumami Kanzashi School Online. I decided to take time to learn in person while I visited Japan in 2025 and immersed myself for 5 days in learning the craft. Tomomi was a very patient and wonderful instructor, and the experience inspired me to continue to practice when I returned from Japan. I decided to pursue the teacher certification to give me a goal and continue to develop what I had learned. I’m excited to also combine what I’ve learned about Tsumami Zaiku with other crafts to make pieces that can help to share a piece of Japanese culture with others who may not know about Japan. I hope to start teaching here in Seattle as well, to help others learn about the craft.