kumo temari: firefly

Sunday, September 11, 2011

firefly

falling from a blade
of grass, and flying away,
there goes a firefly
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

I have made several all-over "swirl" stitch temari that all use Barbara Suess's "Oliver Twist" pattern. This time, I took a different approach, using a C10 (combination 10) division and stitching on that. This is the first C10 division I have done; it requires a lot of perfecting and attention to numbers and intersections of division lines. However, the swirl pattern is luckily very forgiving on my imperfect C10.

Golden yellow thread wrap with embroidery in dark pewter gray (that looks dark blue or a little iridescent at times against the thread wrap, nice for the firefly concept I'm tying to convey). The haiku by Matsuo Bashō is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 9.375 inches / 23.8 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.5 cm. Completed 11 September 2011 (no. 025).

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do you sell temari?

I sell select temari in my shop on Etsy.com — KumoTemari.etsy.com. Temari are added to the shop as as I finish them, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time, on average once a week. To learn how to find out when new temari are added to the shop, please see the FAQ section of my shop policy page, "How to Find Out When Temari are in the Shop." The FAQ page includes instructions for joining my mailing list.

All sales loan funds to low-income entrepreneurs around the world through the micro-financing site Kiva.org.

temari diagram

The temari is traditionally referred to in terms relating to the globe. Thus, the top and bottom are poles (north and south), and the horizontal circumference around the center is the equator (marked in red; it's called the obi, which is the sash around a kimono). The vertical gray lines represent the division lines that are marked with thread on the temari before stitching. This is a "simple 8" division (S8), resulting in eight equal "wedges," as if slicing an apple from top to bottom (wedges is not an official term, but it gets the idea across). Divisions include simple (S) and combination (C) — S4, S6, S8, S10, S12, and S16; C6, C8, and C10.