kumo temari

be the change

2012-02-24T15:53:00.002-08:00

Be the change that you wish to see in the world.
— Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948)

All-over swirl time again. Each time I work on one of these, I practice getting my stitched closer and more uniform. These take hours!

Dark charcoal gray wrap; sort of a C10 division, though it's actually a variant of an S4 division, and there are no marking lines. Embroidery in burnt coppery orange. The quote by Gandhi is in the bell box along with 17 brass rings. Circumference: 9.625 inches / 24.5 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.8 cm. Completed 23 February 2012 (no. 102).

For sale on Etsy to benefit Kiva.org.

anything can be

2012-02-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.
— Shel Silverstein (1930–1999)

I've seen a couple photos of temari made in Japan that feature kiku herringbone flowers, but with extremely narrow (tight) kiku points. Usually the inner kiku points are triangular and tapered but these were like long lines, with the petals bursting out at the bottom. I have no idea how this technique is achieved; and before I start asking around, I thought I'd try some ideas. This is my first attempt. While it did not produce the intended effect, I like the very narrow points a great deal. The resulting shapes remind me of sand dollars.

Thread wrap in deep midnight blue; S10 division in metallic copper; embroidery in very pale pastel blue, very pale pastel green, and a darker pastel blue. The quote above by Shel Silverstein* is in the bell box along with 13 brass rings. Circumference: 10.375 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.3 inches / 8.43 cm. Completed 16 February 2012 (no. 103).

*
Anything Can Happen
Listen to the Mustn'ts, child,
Listen to the Don'ts
Listen to the Shouldn'ts
The Impossibles, the Won'ts
Listen to the Never Haves,
Then listen close to me—
Anything can happen, child,
Anything can be.

For sale on Etsy to benefit Kiva.org.

breathing room for the spirit

2012-02-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

What art offers is space — a certain breathing room for the spirit.
— John Updike (1932–2009)

Another pattern like no. 94: a 20-point kiku herringbone design (uwagake chidori kagari) with a second round of kiku stitched in the opposite color under and around the points of the first.

Thread wrap in medium gray; S20 division in metallic silver; embroidery in dark pewter gray and light moss green (chartreuse). The quote above by John Updike is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 27.7 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.81 cm. Completed 14 February 2012 (no. 101).

For sale on Etsy to benefit Kiva.org.

the art of simplicity

2012-02-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity.
— Douglas Horton (1891–1968)

This temari features another use of the reverse kiku stitch (used in no. 93). This time, the temari is divided as a combination 8 and six small interwoven stars are stitched in reverse kiku. Each star is made of two colors, resulting in 12 colors total.

Thread wrap in dark chocolate brown; C8 division in matching #8 perle; embroidery in 12 shades of mossy and silvery greens and browns. The quote above by Douglas Horton is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 11.325 inches / 29 cm; diameter: 3.6 inches / 9.23 cm. Completed 11 February 2012 (no. 099).

For sale on Etsy to benefit Kiva.org.

discover new oceans

2012-02-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.
— André Gide (1869–1951)

This is a new (for me) variation on a kiku design. Two five-petal kiku flowers, interwoven, at each pole. Then starting from the centers of those petals, two more that have their petal tips layered at the equator with those from the other side. One side goes from light to dark, the other from dark to light; the centers are the same color breaks.

Thread wrap in navy blue; S10 division in medium silvery-blue #8 perle; embroidery in four shades of blue (three are silvery-blue) and four shades of coffee brown. The quote above by André Gide is in the bell box along with 17 brass rings. Circumference: 10.875 inches / 27.8 cm; diameter: 3.46 inches / 8.84 cm. Completed 9 February 2012 (no. 098).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

left: dark to light; right: light to dark

grandmother star - or, how big is a temari?

2012-02-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

Temari range in size from very small (marble sized?) to very large (very, very large). I'm taking the "Grandmother Star" class from Barb Suess. It's from her that I took my first class for my first temari in her "Morning Glory" pattern.

This is the largest temari I have made to date. Most of mine average 25 to 29 centimeters in circumference. In the photos, the purple temari is no. 93, and is 27 cm / 10.625 inches in circumference, which is 8.59 cm / 3.38 inches in diameter.

The tennis ball is 21 cm / 8.25 inches circumference (6.68 cm / 2.62 inches diameter).

And, the large prepped off-white mari is going to be the Grandmother Star. It has 6 cups of rice hulls inside (I usually use a little more than one cup) — and its circumference is 41 cm / 16.125 inches (13 cm / 5.13 inches in diameter).

Stay tuned! This is temari no. 100 (I number them when I start, and don't always finish in order — though I have yet not to finish one).

i wait for my arrival

2012-02-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Beyond myself, somewhere, I wait for my arrival.
— Octavio Paz (1914–1998)

Another ~~braided~~ ribbed kiku herringbone, with two interwoven five-pointed stars at each end. This is a brilliant stitch, so effective . . . but I need to go slowly to ensure the proper tension of all the stitches.

Thread wrap in medium dark gray; S10 division in gray #8 perle; embroidery in ecru, and three shades of pewter gray. The quote above by Paz is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 27.7 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.81 cm. Completed 3 February 2012 (no. 097).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

TAST 2012 - week 5 - herringbone

2012-02-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) — week five is the herringbone stitch. This stitch is perhaps the most fundamental stitch in temari making, because you must anchor your embroidery to the threads on the surface of the temari. Usually it is stitched flush in rows to form bands of color, and is used to build up rows, shapes, or for a spiral effect; there are variations on the stitch like kiku, or ribbed.

Since this is not a new stitch for me, I decided to try something that was — a temari design that is made entirely of "individual" stitches, rather than layered in rows. I did two versions — an initial version, then a second to improve aspects of the first that I wasn't totally happy with.

In the photo above, no. 95 is on the left, and was the first. You can read about it and see more photos by clicking here. No. 96 is on the right, the "improved" version; you can read about it and see more photos by clicking here.

happiness is like a butterfly

2012-02-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
— Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864)

Upon finishing no. 95, I immediately wanted to make another "individual" herringbone stitch design to change parts of the design that I thought could look better (number of petals, length of petals, treatment at the equator)—and this version is much improved. Three layers of kiku herringbone petals; the first round has four five-point stars (which have layered tips across the equator), each in a shade of orange; the second round has four stars in four shades of blue and purple; the third round has four stars in four shades of green. On each round the stars are offset by one guideline — a spirograph-like effect. I chose "butterfly colors."

Thread wrap in black; S20 division, guidelines removed after stitching; embroidery in 12 shades of oranges, blues, purples and greens. The quote above by Hawthorne is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference:10.75 inches / 27.2 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.65 cm. Completed 1 February 2012 (no. 096).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

the breaking of a wave — individual herringbone stitch

2012-02-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.
— Vladimir Nabokov

Lately I've been thinking about how to create an interesting design with "stand alone" herringbone stitches. I divided this temari as an S24, and chose two color palettes of three colors each. I did one round of 8 petals, then another round of 8 offset by one guideline, then a third round of 8 the last guidelines. Over this I did the same, with shorter petals. So essentially 6 layers of single-stitch flowers, with kiku herringbone at the poles. Spirograph!

Thread wrap in ecru; S24 division, guidelines removed after stitching; embroidery in 6 shades of blues and greens. The quote above by Nabokov is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 9.875 inches / 25 cm; diameter: 3.14 inches / 7.95 cm. Completed 1 February 2012 (no. 095).

No. 96 followed right after, trying to address some of the issues I was unhappy with in this one.

wise men fashion themselves

2012-01-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

Carpenters bend wood, fletchers bend arrows, wise men fashion themselves.
— Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha

This temari has a pattern two interlocked five-point kiku herringbone flowers, but the kiku points are at the equator and not at the poles, which is the standard. I did this once before (no. 65, an S16) and think this one turned out better as an S10, and I want to try working with this idea further. The petals have the opposite "arc" than when the kiku points are at the poles, and the whole thing reminds me of Islamic designs, and doors on mosques and other Islamic architecture or mosaics.

Thread wrap in purple; S10 division in metallic copper; embroidery in 5 shades of very light lavender-white (not actually white) to dusky lavender to purple. The quote above by the Buddha is in the bell box along with 14 brass rings. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 30 January 2012 (no. 093).

this very moment

2012-01-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, luckily for us, it's with us wherever we are.
— Pema Chödrön (1936– )

My second attempt at the "kiku around kiku" technique, like no. 91. That was done on an S12, and this on an S20, which is what the original pattern called for. This is finer and more delicate because of the narrower petals. It has a 20-point kiku herringbone design (uwagake chidori kagari) with a second round of kiku stitched in the opposite color under and around the points of the first.

Thread wrap in charcoal gray; S20 division in black #8 perle; embroidery in olive green and orchid purple. The quote above by Pema Chödrön is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 11.25 inches / 28.5 cm; diameter: 3.58 inches / 9.07 cm. Completed 29 January 2012 (no. 094).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

out of the nest (rose garden pattern)

2012-01-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.
— Pema Chödrön (1936– )

The rose garden pattern is definitely one of my favorites, and provides so many opportunities for variation. This temari uses alternating pentagons with some long layered herringbone stitches around the center.

Thread wrap in dark moss green; S10 division in matching #5 perle; embroidery in more than 10 shades of greens, silvery greens, browns, and coppers. The quote above by Pema Chödrön is in the bell box along with 10 brass rings. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.6 cm. Completed 27 January 2012 (no. 092).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

kiku around kiku pattern - deserve your dream (2)

2012-01-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

Deserve your dream.
— Octavio Paz (1914–1998)

This is a new pattern — a traditional pattern that employs a second round of kiku herringbone around the first in reversed colors for an interesting optical effect. The pattern I followed was an S20 division and this an S12. I like very much how it looks, but would like to try it on the narrower division to see what effect that has on the illusion.

Midnight blue thread wrap; S12 division with khaki #8 perle; embroidery in purple and a brassy-golden-yellow. The quote by Octavio Paz is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.91 cm. Completed 24 January 2011 (no. 091).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

use the experience wisely (2)

2012-01-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
— Auguste Rodin (1840–1917)

I've twice stitched a C8 with interwoven kiku stars (see no. 29 and no. 66), but this is the first with interwoven, layered stars — that is, each of the six eight-point stars has four points that are "interlocked" with points of other stars.

Very light bluish green (celadon) thread wrap; C8 division with metallic silver; embroidery in four gradated shades of blue-green. The quote by Auguste Rodin is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 20 January 2011 (no. 090).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

toward what i don't understand

2012-01-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand.
— Yo-Yo Ma (1955– )

This is an experimental temari, using a traditional embroidery stitch (the buttonhole stitch) that's not generally used as part of temari stitching. I have been experimenting with traditional embroidery — click here to see my first experiment, no. 86, inspired by the water lily paintings of Monet.This is the second version of a buttonhole temari as I work to refine the pattern. It is visual expression of one way I feel about cello music.

Thread wrap in dark chocolate brown; S12 division with division lines removed; embroidery in four gradated shades of silver gray that has a touch of green, going from dark at one end of the temari to light at the other. The quote above by Yo-Yo Ma is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 18 January 2012 (no. 089).

red and gray swirl

2012-01-17T18:30:00.000-08:00

Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.
— Henry Miller (1891–1980)

A swirl temari, a gift for the new year.

Silver gray thread wrap; S4 / S10 division variant. Embroidery in dark red wine. The quote by Henry Miller is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.27 cm. Completed 15 January 2012 (no. 087).

what i don't understand

2012-01-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand.
— Yo-Yo Ma (1955– )

Another 2012 TAST Challengetemari — week two's stitch is the buttonhole stitch (view my first attempts here). I started with the quote, and sketched designs until I found a way to use the stitch to create a visual expression of one way I feel about classical music — and cello music in particular.

I created an S8 division but didn't tack it; I used the vertical guides to align the bases of the buttonhole rows and the ends of the stitches. My stitching needs a lot of practice, especially gauging how the tension pulls on the threads and "mis-aligns" the straightness the top and bottom of each block. I think an S10 or S12, with shorter and denser stitches, would be more successful.

Thread wrap in chocolate brown; no division lines; embroidery in four shades of olive browns and greens, gradated from one end to the other. The quote above by Yo-Yo Ma is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.27 cm. Completed 11 January 2012 (no. 088).

Update 20 January: I finished a second "buttonhole" temari, with narrower rows, which you can see here.

TAST 2012 - week 2 - buttonhole

2012-01-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

Week 2
Buttonhole Stitch

If you're wondering what this is all about, you can read the TAST Week 1 post here. This week the challenge is the buttonhole stitch. I managed to both practice it on my "temari sampler" (above) and complete a finished temari using exclusively the buttonhole stitch (below).

Click here to view the complete post about & see more photos of the finished buttonhole temari, "What I Don't Understand."

Below are my first practice stitches, and some variations of stitches that are in the buttonhole family. I like this stitch; again the temari as a canvas presents unique challenges, particularly adjusting the tension of the stitches correctly so as not to pull the threads too much, and obviously I need lots of practice.


buttonhole stitch


more buttonhole

buttonhole wheel

buttonhole wheel fail - looks like a nautilus

attempt at feather stitch

rosette of thorns

up and down buttonhole

water lilies (dig and delve unceasingly)

2012-01-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

It's on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.
— Claude Monet (1840–1926)

I'm hoping that whenever possible, I'll find ways to play with and employ the stitches I'm learning in the 2012 TAST Challenge to create temari — even if very non-traditional and experimental. This week's stitch was the fly stitch, and I was inspired to use it like an impressionist brushstroke to make my interpretation of Claude Monet's water lily paintings.

Hours and hours of layer upon layer of the fly stitch create this temari.

Thread wrap in light bluish-green (celadon); no division; embroidery in about 12 shades of blues, greens, violets, and in-betweens. The quote above by Monet is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 9.75 inches / 25 cm; diameter: 3.1 inches / 7.95 cm. Completed 9 January 2012 (no. 086).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

TAST 2012 - week 1 - fly stitch (Take a Stitch Tuesday)

2012-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

This year I'm taking part in the TAST 2012 Challenge — Take a Stitch Tuesday — being held on the blog Pin Tangle. Each week a new stitch will be introduced and anyone participating can learn it or if they already know it take it further; take a photo; then post a link to their photo on the Pin Tangle site.

Since everything I know about embroidery I learned from stitching temari, I know very little. Herringbone. Herringbone variations. Anything else? I'm not sure. So, this will really add to my vocabulary & tool box, so to speak.

While I expect most people participating will be stitching on more traditional materials, I am of course working on a temari. A temari "sampler." Last night I made the largest temari I've ever made — 3 cups of rice hulls in the center, whereas I usually range from ¾ to 1¼ cups. It's 13.625 inches / 34.5 cm in circumference; 4.33 inches / 11 cm. It's bigger than a soft ball. A little larger than a grapefruit. (And I'm considering this temari no. 85.)

I think stitching on a temari will present some unique challenges — there's no "back" of the canvas to access, it's curved, and the threadwrap comes into play a lot in how the threads are pulled by the stitches (or how the stitches are pulled by them). Especially on a temari this large a thread can end up over the end of a stitch, which you can see a little in my photos. I don't think this would be as much of an issue on a smaller temari, where the stitching area would be more convex.

Week 1
Fly Stitch

Gray: top - single fly stitches, and below is a stacked "branch" of them; top green: single stitches in an attempt to make a scale pattern; bottom green: the closed fly stitch, looks like [part of] a leaf.

plaited fly stitch

left: threaded fly stitch; right: whipped fly stitch

Finally, stacked stitches to make a little ferny thing.

Update, 9 January: Click to view my post about my completed "fly stitch" temari.

next year's words await

2012-01-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.
— T. S. Eliot (1888–1965)

Another temari emplying uwagake chidori kagari — braided kiku herringbone — like no. 74. I like this stitch. Each pole has two four-pointed interwoven kiku flowers; at the inner petals each round picks up just the round before it (traditional kiku herringbone wraps around all the previous rows).

Thread wrap in silver; S8 division in matching #8 DMC perle; embroidery in six shades of avocado greens, dark to very light. The quote above by T.S. Eliot is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings. Circumference: 10.325 inches / 26.3 cm; diameter: 3.28 inches / 8.37 cm. Completed 3 January 2012 (no. 084).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

exhibit, interview, & giveaway

2012-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

This week Kumo Temari has the good fortune to be featured on the blog EtsyStalker.com. You can read an interview with me and enter to win temari no. 83, To Rise Above Little Things. Just click here to go to the post — all you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment; the winner will be chosen on Sunday January 8.

Happy New Year from Kumo Temari! (to rise above little things)

2011-12-31T13:22:00.000-08:00

One resolution I have made, and try to always keep, is this: "To rise above little things."
— John Burroughs (1837–1921), American naturalist and essayist

The seventh in the series of temari I have made specifically for the New Year. Two four-petaled kiku herringbone flowers layered, with layered tips over the obi and extra space between the inner and outer rows of each petal. It's like lattice work; I will try to find out if there is an official name for this technique.

Thread wrap in midnight blue; S8 division in perle #8; embroidery in two shades of blueish-green, two shades of silver-blue, and dark pewter. The quote above by John Burroughs is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings (for upcoming 2012). Circumference: 10 inches / 25.3 cm; diameter: 3.18 inches / 8.03 cm. Completed 30 December 2011 (no. 083).

Update, January 2: Want to win this temari? Kumo Temari is the featured solo exhibit and interview on EtsyStalker.com. To win "To Rise Above Little Things" head on over to the interview and leave a comment; the winner will be chosen Sunday January 8.

every moment is a golden one

2011-12-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.
— Henry Miller (1891–1980)

No. 80 got me thinking about diamonds. That one used kiku flowers with layered tips and ended up forming diamond shapes, but I wanted to stitch diamonds proper. I have seen many temari with diamond shapes, but chose not to follow a pattern or look at any photos in constructing this one, and just find the right measurements and placement and design to match what was in my head. I thought I'd just be doing four diamonds around the center but realized that was bare, and added a second layer of four diamonds.

Thread wrap in medium brown; S8 division in metallic copper; embroidery in eight shades from dark brown to golden yellow to light gold. The quote above by Henry Miller is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings (for upcoming 2012). Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27.5 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.75 cm. Completed 28 December 2011 (no. 082).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

use the experience wisely

2011-12-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
— Auguste Rodin (1848–1917)

A traditional kiku chrysanthemum for the new year. Garnet is the January birthstone so I worked garnet into the palette.

Thread wrap in slate gray; S16 division in #8 DMC perle; embroidery in two shades of garnet red, two shades of silver gray, and two shades of light golden brown. The quote above by Auguste Rodin is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings (for upcoming 2012). Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27.2 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.65 cm. Completed 26 December 2011 (no. 081).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

braided herringbone (uwagake chidori kagari) + layered petal tips

2011-12-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.
— T.S. Eliot (1888–1965)

Having learned braided kiku herringbone — uwagake chidori kagari — with no. 74, I wanted to add the layered petal aspect of nos. 76 and 77. It kind of worked and kind of didn't, and I think what doesn't quite work for me is that as it's just one five-point flower at each pole, rather than two layered flowers, the spacing between rows is more obvious (compare to no. 74). On the other hand, I think that the layered intersections look neat as they form diamonds, and now on my list is trying a design of large open diamonds around the temari, with layered tips forming compact diamonds around the center (regular kiku herringbone, not braided). On this one, the top and bottom have little five-point kiku (Christmas) stars.

Thread wrap in violet; S10 division in #8 DMC perle; embroidery in purple, two shades of dusky lavender, and three shades of green. The quote above by T.S. Eliot is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings (for upcoming 2012). Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.8 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.53 cm. Completed 24 December 2011 (no. 080).

Many pictures, for my personal archive . . .

the sun on every field

2011-12-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

first day of the year:
it's the sun on every field
that brings such longing
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

I was looking at photos for ideas of field- and grass-evoking weaves. I already knew what colors I'd be working with, and thought about amime-giku, but that didn't seem quite right. I found and studied this photo of an example of a "merry-go-round" variation on JapaneseTemari.com, the website of Barb Suess (a link from the stitch glossary). The merry-go-round stitch (jyouge douji kagari) is a stitch that travels north to south to north, over the equator, around the whole temari. I've done this in a different variation before, in my first set of temari (companion temari no. 2), but for whatever reason I wasn't able to puzzle it out. Rather than going back to those instructions I just sort of "winged" it. I ended up alternating colors of threads so the overall pattern is layered. It turned out pretty much how I would have pictured it — if I'd had a clear picture in my mind.

Thread wrap in a sort of ochre dark gold; S8 division in matching #8 perle; embroidery in dark and light sage and dark and light yellow-gold. The haiku above by Bashō is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings (for the new year 2012). Circumference: 10 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: 3.18 inches / 8.1 cm. Completed 23 December 2011 (no. 079).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

in utter simplicity

2011-12-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

The new year arrived
in utter simplicity —
and a deep blue sky
— Kobayashi Issa (1763–1827)

Another swirl temari, for the new year.

Navy blue thread wrap; sort of a C10 division, though it's actually a variant of an S4 division, and there are no marking lines. Embroidery in medium silvery blue. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings (for the approaching year of 2012). Circumference: 9.5 inches / 24 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.6 cm. Completed 22 December 2011 (no. 078).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

new year's day

2011-12-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
— Edith Lovejoy Pierce (1904–1983)

The next attempt at what I first tried with no. 76 — layered kiku tips of the flowers of opposite poles. Temari are traditional as New Years's gifts, particularly made by mothers for daughters. I chose this quote as my first in a series of New Year's temari.

Thread wrap in dark midnight blue; S8 division in medium silver-blue #8 perle; embroidery in three shades of silvery blue, pearl gray, and four shades of brown. The quote by Edith Lovejoy Pierce is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings (for the approaching year of 2012). Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.43 cm. Completed 19 December 2011 (no. 077).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

interwoven kiku petals - attempt one

2011-12-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

I've seen photos of kiku petals that are "interwoven" — I don't know what else to call it — though to the best of my recollection I usually see C8s with six kiku flowers, or this method done as different shapes or stitching methods, like HHG (hito hude gake) — I think — a method I haven't learned yet. Anyway, I wanted the two four-petal layered kiku flowers at the poles, but to "join" the tips of the petals of one of the flowers at one pole with the tips of the corresponding flower at the other pole. I took a wildish guess at how to do this, and it worked well. It worked even better the second time around, no. 77.

Thread wrap in burgundy (I found it very hard to photograph); S8 division in burgundy #8 perle; embroidery in burgundy, purple, and dark golden orange. A personal quote is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.43 cm. Completed 18 December 2011 (no. 076).

update, 21 December: I found out the proper terms, with some help over at Temari Challenge — at each pole there are two 4-petal flowers that are interlocked. The petal tips around that are at the center are layered.

twelfth month (2)

2011-12-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

snow is upon snow . . .
can tonight be the twelfth month's
full and whitest moon?
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

The rose garden design, in pentagon form — like no. 71. A winter version (a rosy winter). "Free-stitching" embroidery in two shades around the center.

Thread wrap in medium gray; S10 division in medium silver gray #8 perle; embroidery in black, two shades of lavender, rose, and four shades of gray (the lightest of which is pearl gray). The haiku above by Bashō is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings. Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.6 cm. Completed 6 December 2011 (no. 075).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

Every single soul is a poem. (2)

2011-12-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

Every single soul is a poem.
— Michael Franti (1966–)

A new stitch: braided uwagake chidori kagari — or braided kiku herringbone. Each pole has two four-pointed interwoven kiku flowers, but if you look at the inner petals on the close-ups, you can see that each round picks up just the round before it, and doesn't wrap around all the previous rows, as with traditional kiku herribone. I've been wanting to try this for while, and worked it out from some photos; I love how it looks, it's very much like a fish spine.

One star is more teal, the other more blue (I switched these two colors but not the others while executing the design) so it has a kind of kaleidoscopic effect. Free stitching around the obi.

Thread wrap in dark chocolate / coffee brown; S8 division in #8 DMC perle (before now if I used perle, I used #5, same as the stitching); embroidery in teal, blues, violets, and lavenders. The quote above by Michael Franti is in the bell box along with 12 brass rings. Circumference: 11.125 inches / 28.5 cm; diameter: 3.54 inches / 9 cm. Completed 11 December 2011 (no. 074).

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our imagination flies (2)

2011-12-10T12:34:00.001-08:00

Our imagination flies — we are its shadow on the earth.
— Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)

Like nos. 40, 45, 60, & 62 — I've come to think of this as the "dragonfly eye" pattern, for lack of any other name. I tried something different this time — with a grid of 7 x 7, I kept wrapping until all of the thread wrap was hidden by the grid.

Golden yellow-orange thread wrap; embroidery in violet, butter yellow, with an obi & bundles in purple. The quote by Nabokov is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.125 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: 3.22 inches / 8.11 cm. Completed 9 December 2011 (no. 073).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

moment after moment (3)

2011-12-09T16:04:00.001-08:00

Our way is to see what we are doing, moment after moment.
— Shunryu Suzuki (1904–1971)

This is the largest temari I have made to date, I believe, though not noticeably so. It's an asymmetrical variation of the kiku (chrysanthemum) pattern; the kiku at the top has multiple stitches that reach out from the previous points, to create a filigree effect. The kiku at the bottom is purposefully smaller and secondary. I think it looks a bit like a Native American vase or other vessel.

This is truly wabi sabi — that is, "perfectly imperfect" of "flawed beauty" — with emphasis on the wabi. It's round, but for some reason when I did the measuring to set the pins for the outer petals, I measured down from the poles rather than up from the equator, which I long ago learned is the preferable way. This resulted in very uneven ends of the main petals around the center. I had already intended to do some "free range" stitching of the last rows of petals, but emphasized them even more so to help fill the space. It's lovely, but yes, flawed. I won't put too fine a point on the resulting irony of the quotation in the center.

Thread wrap in black; S16 division in black perle; embroidery in two shades of golden yellow and three shades of silver gray. The quote above by Shunryu Suzuki is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 11.5 inches / 29.5 cm; diameter: 3.66 inches / 9.4 cm. Completed 9 December 2011 (no. 072).

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long before it happens

2011-12-07T15:28:00.001-08:00

The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens.
— Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926)

A variation of the rose garden pattern (like no. 42 and no. 64) — this has pentagon-shaped layers rather than squares. I think I prefer this to the strictly alternating squares like no. 42 but like it as much as the "spiral" squares of no. 64. "Free" embroidery in two shades, a herringbone merry-go-roundesque pattern, around the center.

Thread wrap in dark moss green; S10 division in dark green perle; embroidery in brown, two greens, "tinted" beiges (brownish, greenish), light butter yellow, cream, and dusky lavender. The quote above by Rilke is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.4 cm. Completed 6 December 2011 (no. 071).

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genius, childhood

2011-12-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

Genius is the recovery of childhood at will.
— Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)

A kiku (chrysanthemum) variation, with 8 rather than 16 points. There's a gap between the last two rounds of each petal, so the thread wrap shows through, and extra "guidelines" added (though not all the way to the poles) to connect the inner points (a visual device). It looks a little like a small eggplant; this makes me happy.

Thread wrap in purple; S8 division in dusky lavender perle; embroidery in sage/artichoke green — three shades, from greenish white to darker sage. The quote above by Baudelaire is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 2 December 2011 (no. 069).

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the pace of nature

2011-12-02T15:52:00.001-08:00

Adopt the pace of Nature: her secret is patience.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

This one started as a variation of no. 44, but having enjoyed the "free" embroidery stitching of no. 64 so much, I kind of morphed that idea into this, making the second star open. I was also inspired by no. 57; I like the thread wrap showing through the shapes and providing depth, color, lacy-ness.

Thread wrap in dark navy blue; S10 division in metallic gold; embroidery in cream, two shades of golden-yellow-verging-towards-orange, two shades of lavender, and purple. The quote above by Emerson is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 1 December 2011 (no. 069).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

good tidings

2011-11-30T18:02:00.001-08:00

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
— John Muir (1838–1914)

A second version of this design, right on the heels of no. 68 — a wrapped band variation, with the threads crossing the obi and gathered/bundled as the obi is stitched.

Thread wrap in silvery-brown (driftwood); S4 division (no guidelines); embroidery in browns, greens, and gold. The quote above by John Muir is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 29 November 2011 (no. 070).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

Every single soul is a poem.

2011-11-30T17:49:00.001-08:00

Every single soul is a poem.
— Michael Franti (1966–)

This is the first time I've tried this design — a wrapped band variation, with the threads crossing the obi and gathered/bundled as the obi is stitched. I was inspired by photos in a book by Mary Wood. I also wanted to do another two-color thread wrap, here in medium and ice blue.

Dual thread wrap in medium blue and ice blue; S4 division (no guidelines); embroidery in blues, grays, and lavenders. The quote above by Michael Franti is in the bell box along with 17 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 28 November 2011 (no. 068).

With it in the last picture is my second try at this pattern, no. 70.

just by being, I'm here

2011-11-28T15:28:00.001-08:00

Just by being,
I'm here—
in the snow-fall.
— Kobayashi Issa (1763–1827)

This is a variation on the rose garden pattern (see no. 042). Layered bands of color, each offset from the one underneath, form a blossom effect. No. 42 uses squares on an S8 division, so every other layer aligns. With this temari, I used an S12 division, and each new square rotates one division, so there are three rather than two forming the overall shape. It has a spiral / twisted effect. The center was again free-form herringbone embroidery to connote snowfall.

Medium gray thread wrap; S12 division with dark steel gray perle; embroidery in four shades of gray (dark steel to light pearl), two shades of gray-green, and two shades of gray-brown. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with 17 brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.4 cm. Completed 27 November 2011 (no. 064).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

Life is about creating yourself.

2011-11-25T18:22:00.001-08:00

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
— George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)

This was an experiment: the traditional kiku (chrysanthemum) design, however "reversed." Normally the kiku herringbone petal tips are at the poles (top and bottom); this time I stitched it backwards so that those tips are in the center, and the regular herringbone tips are at the poles. I like how it looks around the center — sort of like vines, or ivy, tendrils reaching towards each other. For some reason it was awkward stitching this way, if only that I'm not used to it; next time around I hope that the rows lie more smoothly and closer together at the tips.

Thread wrap in charcoal gray; S16 division with silver metallic; embroidery in medium silver gray, two shades of silver blue, and two shades of dusky lavender. The quote above by George Bernard Shaw is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.6 cm. Completed 24 November 2011 (no. 065).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

your corner of the Forest

2011-11-25T18:08:00.001-08:00

You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.
— Winnie-the-Pooh, A. A. Milne (1882–1956)

An all-over spiral. I've learned a new way that does not require a C10 division first; rather an S4 division plus some measuring to find the shapes to fill in with the spiral pattern. Medium brown thread wrap with embroidery in light golden brown/tan. The quote by A. A. Milne is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 9.625 inches / 24.5 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.8 cm. Completed 24 November 2011 (no. 063).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

the music of what happens

2011-11-24T14:02:00.001-08:00

And that moment when the bird sings very close
To the music of what happens.
— Seamus Heaney (1939–)

This is the second time I've worked a C8 with kiku stars in each "square." The first was no. 29. The four interwoven kiku-stars around the center alternate color emphasis and row-count; the ones at top and bottom are in lighter/darker shades for contrast. These colors on the black background bring to mind wild songbirds, and I chose them to highlight the stanza from Heaney's poem.

Black thread wrap; C8 division with black perle; embroidery in brown (coffee with cream), dark wine red, very dark wine red, and cream. The quote by Seamus Heaney is in the bell box along with 8 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.9 cm. Completed 23 November 2011 (no. 066).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

new temari mailing list & slideshow

2011-11-21T21:25:00.001-08:00

Would you like to receive a notification when a new temari is added for sale in the Etsy shop? You can sign up here and each time I add a temari to the shop, you'll get the heads-up.

When you sign up, you'll need to confirm your subsciption by replying to an e-mail that Mad Mimi will send you. It will probably land in your spam box, so be sure to look there.

You will only receive an e-mail when a new listing is posted. You can unsubscribe at at any time, and your e-mail address will be kept confidential and will never be sold or shared.

★

Now you can view a slideshow of my temari . . . which I will try to update as I finish each one!

in the eye of the dragonfly (2)

2011-11-18T19:49:00.001-08:00

the distant mountains
are reflected in the eye
of the dragonfly
— Kobayashi Issa (1763–1827)

No. 60 was so enjoyable to make and it sold immediately, I just had to make it again. The change this time was to do the thread wrap in two colors. So instead of finishing the wrap with one strand all over, I finished with two — one blue and one green. What's interesting is that the two colors together "blend" and look like their own color, sort of shifting in and out, until you look at it up close and see what's going on.

Dark blue and dark green dual thread wrap; embroidery in dark silvery-blue, emerald green, medium silver, and metallic silver perle. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.27 cm. Completed 17 November 2011 (no. 062).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

happiness is like a butterfly

2011-11-16T20:35:00.001-08:00

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
— Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864)

Two four-petal kiku stars. Asymmetrical, and at each pole, one of the stars has two points that cross over the obi. I haven't done this before, and like the effect very much. I didn't follow a pattern or photo; I just figured out the best measurements for the outer points for the pattern I wanted.

Lilac thread wrap; S8 division with metallic purple; embroidery in coffee brown, coffee with cream, cream, and purple, with metallic purple around the obi. The quote by Hawthorne is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 15 November 2011 (no. 061).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

in the eye of the dragonfly

2011-11-16T18:31:00.001-08:00

the distant mountains
are reflected in the eye
of the dragonfly
— Kobayashi Issa (1763–1827)

Like no. 40 and no. 45; I definitely feel more comfortable with this pattern and the execution. This time I did the obi first, then wrapped the bands over it, which worked well and I think is my preference of all three variations.

Dark blue thread wrap; embroidery in lilac, emerald green, medium silver blue, and silver perle. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.27 cm. Completed 15 November 2011 (no. 060).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

say cheese - temari on parade

2011-11-15T12:16:00.001-08:00

it's what you see

2011-11-14T11:05:00.001-08:00

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.
— Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

Thread wrap in dark charcoal gray; S6 division with no marking lines; embroidery in rust orange, brick red, black, and dark gray. After the bands were wrapped I added black division lines in the alternate spaces, just for visual effect. The quote above by Henry David Thoreau is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26.2 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 12 November 2011 (no. 059).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

what lies within us

2011-11-13T21:56:00.001-08:00

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

Another amime-giku — or net weave — like no. 55. This variation has a division of 20; I wanted the division lines to be "invisible," so I used a triple-strand of the same thread as the wrap so it will blend in. This time I added a wide traditional obi rather than a "net" obi.

Thread wrap in purple; S20 division with the same purple thread; amime-giku in a dusky silvery lavender and a wide obi in that same color plus violet. The quote above by Ralph Waldo Emerson is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.125 inches / 25.7 cm; diameter: 3.22 inches / 8.2 cm. Completed 11 November 2011 (no. 058).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

everything you can imagine is real

2011-11-13T20:01:00.001-08:00

Everything you can imagine is real.
— Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)

The traditional kiku (chrysanthemum) design, in non-traditional colors (an homage to Picasso). For the first time I tried adding a gap, some space, between rows in the petals — after 5 rows, I started the sixth about 7mm from the tip of the petal. This gives it a nice lacy, three-dimensional effect.

Thread wrap in ivory; S16 division with pearlescent metallic; embroidery in four shades of blue. The quote above by Pablo Picasso is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.6 cm. Completed 12 November 2011 (no. 057).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

every minute of every hour (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)

2011-11-13T17:35:00.001-08:00

... let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. ... And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.
— Francie Nolan in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1896–1972)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn opens on a summer Saturday in August 1912. Francie Nolan visits the library as she does every day in the summer, and studies the coveted little golden brown bowl on the librarian's desk — "a season indicator." The sprigs of foliage in the bowl change with the seasons, and on this day:

She moved her eyes slowly up the jug past the thin green stems and little round leaves and saw ... nasturtiums! Red, yellow, gold and ivory white. A head pain caught her between the eyes at the taking in of such a wonderful sight. It was something to be remembered all her life. "When I get big," she thought, "I will have such a brown bowl and in hot August there will be nasturtiums in it."

The colors and the layered five-petaled flowers on this temari were inspired by this scene.

Brown thread wrap; S10 division lines in metallic gold; embroidery in brown, light green, orange-yellow, yellow, ivory, and dark red. The quote by Betty Smith is in the bell box along with 5 brass rings. Circumference: 10.375 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.3 inches / 8.43 cm. Completed 11 November 2011 (no. 056).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

from your own actions — amime-giku

2011-11-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
— the Dalai Lama
[His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama] (1935– )

This is my first go at the "net" weave, a traditional weave called amime-giku in Japanese. It can be done with one color thread, continuous, or in multiple colors as I have done here, divided into rows. The examples I've seen of this in books have an obi (a wrapped band around the center) but I wanted a continuous woven look. The design starts from each pole and works towards the center; rather than stop and add an obi, I added an extra round to connect the weaving from end to end.

I chose this weave for this quote to evoke the idea of the continuous nature of things, and how all life and all actions are interwoven and interdependent.

Dark moss green thread wrap; S16 division lines in alternating light and dark perle cotton green embroidery thread; embroidery (amime-kiku) in multiple gradated shades of green (light at the poles to dark at the center). The quote by the Dalai Lama is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.6 cm. Completed 8 November 2011 (no. 055).

Sold on Etsy to benefit Kiva.org.

i wait for my arrival

2011-11-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

Beyond myself, somewhere, I wait for my arrival.
— Octavio Paz (1914–1998)

The traditional kiku (chrysanthemum) design, in very non-traditional colors. I think I prefer these without an obi (compare to no. 39), with the kiku petals stretching towards each other without a "barrier." But both styles are aesthetically lovely.

Thread wrap in dark charcoal gray; S16 division with metallic copper; embroidery in rust orange, black, and brick red. The quote above by Octavio Paz is in the bell box along with 16 brass rings (for the 16 petals). Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 9 cm. Completed 08 November 2011 (no. 054).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

in the mists and cloud

2011-11-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

in the mists and cloud
for a moment a hundred scenes
brought to fulfillment
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

Another in the all-over wrapped "web" style like no. 34 and no. 36. Simple, yet extremely time-consuming, and if the mari isn't really, really round, one runs into trouble at the end. This one worked out really well, and the colors mesh in a lovely manner.

White thread wrap (which you don't see); heavy cotton thread, like package-tying thread, for division lines (S8 division); embroidery wrap in all silvery grays, blues, and silvery blues (no black, no white). The haiku by Matsuo Bashō is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: 3.18 inches / 8.11 cm. Completed 5 November 2011 (no. 052).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

my philosophy is kindness

2011-11-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

My brain and my heart are my temples, my philosophy is kindness.
— the Dalai Lama
[His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama] (1935– )

In the style of no. 44, but a four-pointed star rather than five, I wanted to create an homage to the Dalai Lama, employing the colors associated with him, and 14 rings to symbolize his being the 14th Dalai Lama.

Royal purple thread wrap; S8 division lines in metallic gold; embroidery in two shades of purple, two shades of golden-orange-yellow, and royal deep red. The quote by the Dalai Lama is in the bell box along with 14 brass rings. Circumference: 10 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: 3.18 inches / 8.11 cm. Completed 2 November 2011 (no. 051).

Sold on Etsy to benefit Kiva.org.

out of the nest

2011-11-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.
— Pema Chödrön

On the heels of no. 48, I really wanted to create a successful piece with the same colors and quotation.

Thread wrap in sky blue; S4 division; wrap in browns and blues. The quotation by Pema Chödrön is in the bell box with seven brass rings. Circumference: 9.875 inches / 25 cm; diameter: 3.14 inches /8 cm. Completed 30 October 2011 (no. 053).

Sold on Etsy to benefit Kiva.org.

so tremulously like a dream

2011-11-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

I think, that if I touched the earth,
It would crumble;
It is so sad and beautiful,
So tremulously like a dream.
— Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)

Another all-over spiral, with a chocolate brown thread wrap and embroidery in smoky dusky rose. The quote from a poem by Dylan Thomas is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 9.5 inches / 24 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.63 cm. Completed 31 October 2011 (no. 050).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

the universe conspires

2011-10-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

Another in the style of no. 33 and no. 35 ("Katydid").

Dark blue thread wrap with embroidery in butter yellow, pumpkin, dark steel blue, and "division" threads in medium steel blue (an S6 division, but these detail threads are where they;d be if it was an S12); a wide dark navy blue obi (20 rows) with "x"s over it at the bands. The quote by Emerson is in the bell box along with twelve brass rings. Circumference: 10.375 inches / 26.4 cm; diameter: 3.3 inches / 8.4 cm. Completed 26 October 2011 (no. 049).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

wrapped and woven experiment

2011-10-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.
— Pema Chödrön

I wanted to try the woven pattern of "Life in Widening Circles" combined with the wrapped band pattern of "All the Details." Because the threads of the wraps must enter/exit the temari somewhere other than the intersections — those need to be free for the weaving — I had to "hide" them in the unwoven areas of the bands. I found it difficult to do this and have it look clean enough. It's like the process of wrapping the obi, but the wider bands and the use of many more colors call more attention to the entering and exiting of the thread. Not satisfied with that aspect of the result, this is one I keep for myself. I'll practice keeping this unavoidable aspect cleaner. In the meantime? Perhaps fewer colors in the row will help.

Thread wrap in sky blue; S4 division; wrap in browns and blues. The quotation by Pema Chödrön is in the bell box with seven brass rings. Circumference: 9.875 inches / 25 cm; diameter: 3.14 inches /8 cm. Completed 26 October 2011 (no. 048).

moment after moment

2011-10-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Our way is to see what we are doing, moment after moment.
—Shunryu Suzuki (1904–1971)

This temari was an experiment. In an earlier post I showed a photo of a prepped mari for which I had used two colors of thread wrap. I had wrapped one normally in gray, and then on top of that added a small amount of ecru. When the time came to stitch, I found the ecru thread was not stable at all, and quickly started to slide off, so I removed it.

For this one, I wrapped the two colors (gray and celadon) simultaneously. I use the "power wrap" method and started with three strands of each to cover the yarn. I went down to one strand of each color to finish, and right at the end, did a little extra wrapping of just the celadon strand, having well-secured the end of the gray thread first. It worked really well, and I love the effect. However, given that this was a kiku design, I noticed that the stitches at the poles pulled the threads (as is normal) but in this case pulled more of the "top coat" of celadon than the gray, with the effect of leaving more gray showing around the poles. I like how it looks but a multi-color thread wrap might work better for a wrapped band style design.

Medium silvery gray thread & celadon green wrap; metallic silver for S16 division lines; embroidery in matching gray, matching green, dark dusky steel blue, dusky rose, and periwinkle blue. One large kiku chrysanthemum pattern at the north pole and one small one at the south. The quote by Shunryu Suzuki is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 27.8 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.8 cm. Completed 25 October 2011 (no. 047).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

twelfth month

2011-10-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

snow is upon snow . . .
can tonight be the twelfth month's
full and whitest moon?
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

One of my favorite — if simple — designs: two layered four-petal kiku herringbone stars / flowers.

Medium silvery gray thread wrap; metallic silver for S8 division lines; embroidery in dark pewter gray, medium silver gray, and light pearl gray, plus metallic silver for edging (and the obi). The haiku by Matsuo Bashō is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.8 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.5 cm. Completed 23 October 2011 (no. 046).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

Deserve your dream.

2011-10-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Deserve your dream.
— Octavio Paz (1914–1998)

This temari is a variation of what I first tried with "Our Imagination Flies" (no. 40): a wrapped pattern, alternating two colors of thread, resulting in a very dimensional effect. On this one I added an obi and some additional highlight lines that doubled as "security" lines — it was part play, part experimentation.

Golden yellow orange thread wrap; embroidery in golden yellow, rust red, and medium chocolate brown. The quote by Octavio Paz is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 9.5 inches / 24.2 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.75 cm. Completed 22 October 2011 (no. 045).

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i'm here — the snow falling (rose garden)

2011-10-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here,
I'm here—
the snow falling.
— Kobayashi Issa (1763–1827)

This is my first go at the traditional "rose garden" design. At opposite poles (top / bottom), layered bands of color, each offset from the one underneath, form a blossom effect. The single-thread design around the center was my playing and experimenting, trying to capture the feeling of falling snow.

Medium silvery-brown thread wrap (like driftwood) with embroidery in five shades of brown — from black coffee to coffee with lots of cream — and a sixth shade of pure cream. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with 8 brass rings. S8 division. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.6 cm. Completed 20 October 2011 (no. 042).

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woven in plum scent

2011-10-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Great moon
woven in plum scent,
all mine.
— Kobayashi Issa (1763–1827)

Another C10 all-over spiral pattern, like "firefly" and "focus in the brightest." You can see the un-embroidered step of this in part four of the "anatomy of a temari" posts.

Purple thread wrap with embroidery in a hard-to-define plum/dark lavender/purply violet. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 9.625 inches / 24.5 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.75 cm. Completed 17 October 2011 (no. 041).

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anatomy of a temari: part four

2011-10-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Division

Once the mari is finished, it needs to be "divided," based on the pattern that will be stitched. A temari is traditionally broken down with geographical terms, as if it's a small earth (there's a diagram at the very bottom of the sidebar at the right). The "top" is the north pole, the "bottom" the is south pole, and the line around the middle is the equator. Having these points helps orient the ball while stitching. Simple patterns are often designs that originate from the two poles, and the equator gets a wrapped band called the obi (which is the Japanese word for the sash around a kimono). A perfect example is the very traditional Kiku, or chrysanthemum.

Luckily for me, this isn't a tutorial, so I can generalize. . . .

The thread-wrapped mari is first marked with pins, and then the pins serve as guides for adding division lines in heavier thread, which usually become part of the final design, but may be removed, depending on the pattern.

Since mari size varies, measuring is started by using a paper strip (1/4-inch wide and long enough to wrap around the circumference and then some). To get the basic measurements, numbers and math aren't needed — it's all relational.

The end of the strip is pinned to the ball and this becomes the north pole (using pins with colored tips, one can designate different colors for different pins, e.g. white for the north pole, blue for the south pole, and red for the equator, like the diagram). The paper strip is wrapped around the circumference and trimmed to the length that equals the circumference of the mari.

While still attached at the north pole, the strip is folded in half; wrapping the folded strip will find where the halfway point —the bottom, or the south pole — is located, and another pin is inserted.

The strip is folded in half again and a notch is cut at this fold. This is the 1/4 mark of the strip, and shows where the equator is located (halfway between the north and south poles). The number of pins placed around the equator depends on the final division (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, etc.).

The pins must be spaced equally around the equator. The same paper strip can be used, since it is it the circumference of the temari; it is folded into 4ths, 6ths, 8ths, or whatever your desired measurement is, and notches cut at the folds, and — theoretically — a pin at each notch will space them equidistantly around the equator. Alternatively (and this is what I prefer), you can pin a fabric tape measure around the temari, divide the circumference by the number of pins you want and use the tape measure to place your pins exactly (for example, a 24 cm circumference divided by 8 for a simple 8 division equals a pin placed every 3 cm).

Whew!

Example one — simple 16 (S16) division, used for the above mentioned chrysanthemum (though these are actually early photographs of no. 43, "the breaking of a wave") — in this temari the division lines are part of the design, so they're made with metallic thread and left on and used as the guidelines for sewing (you can see this if you click on the link for no. 43):

S16: the white pin is the north pole, and the red and black pins are the 16 pins around the equator. Alternating the color helps later when doing the stitching, to keep the two kiku flowers on the correct grid (the pins are left in when starting the stitching).

S16: the blue pin is the south pole. Metallic thread has been used to mark the 16 north to south division lines. In some designs, the equator would also get a division line (crossing the N–S lines) which would be wrapped with an obi; in this case, my design has no obi so I have left this division line off.

There are simple divisions: S4, S6, S8, S10, S12, S16 . . . the number referring to the number of N–S division lines. And there are combination divisions: C6, C8 and C10, which don't have an equator / obi, and have multiple poles.

Example two — combination 10 (C10) division. Used, for example, for an all-over spiral.

This starts out as an S10. Note that in the following two photos, the pins that were on the equator have been moved relative to the poles using a particular formula specific to the C10 (which does require math and a ruler), to get the mari ready for adding the division lines.

S10 showing the north pole pin (white) and the N–S division lines, with the 10 equator pins (red and green) already repositioned for a C10.

Another view of the same, from a different angle, showing both north pole pin and south pole pin (blue).

Using the repositioned equator pins, more lines are wrapped around each to divide it into the "combination" division: each pin will become a pole with 10 division lines radiating outwards. I'm using regular sewing thread, because after I'm done marking it, I'll remove the thread before embroidering.

The additional division lines have been added. Switching out pin colors during the process helps me keep track of my progress and orientation.

A C10 with pins removed. The tacking (the stitches that hold the intersections of threads at each pole in place) are really big and sloppy because I will be removing all this thread before embroidering, and I don't want to lose it!

Once the C10 is complete, "shapes" are picked out on which to work the design. You can see stars, triangles, pentagons, octagons, diamonds. . . . If the division lines are part of the design, they're done in decorative thread and used to guide the stitching. For the all-over spiral, the next steps are to put new pins in at the corners of the right shapes and remove the division lines before beginning stitching since they are not part of the design — as seen here.

Update 18 October: see the finished "plum" all-over spiral.

So, that's a very simplified explanation with just a couple of examples of how to ready the mari for the design. End of anatomy lessons!

For each temari I complete, I try to include a label / tag with the type of division. Over in the sidebar is a list of tags, so you can click on any one and get a list of posts & pictures of temari using that division — for an example, here's the list of S8 temari.

the breaking of a wave

2011-10-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.
— Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)

This temari is another S16 with interwoven kiku stars / flowers. I chose ocean-like colors and for the first time used "Nordic Gold" white metallic pearl for the division lines to go with that theme. Practice, practice, practice the basic stitches of herringbone and kiku herringbone. The lengths of the petals are shorter on one than the other so around the obi it has an asymmetrical effect.

Medium silvery blue thread wrap; S16 division lines in metallic pearl (N–S only, no equator); embroidery in dark silverish blue, light silver gray, with a final row in dark navy blue. The quote by Vladimir Nabokov is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 11.25 inches / 28.5 cm; diameter: 3.58 inches / 9 cm. Completed 14 October 2011 (no. 043).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

jewels of the night

2011-10-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

The stars are the jewels of the night, and perchance surpass anything which day has to show.
— Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

This was an experiment for me, taking the technique of layered kiku flower / star and working out an arrangement, sizes, placement, color, and so on; the nicest surprise was that because I did not start the inner petals of each star / flower at the same distance from the pole, rather started the smaller one farther from the pole, the inner "negative" space of black thread wrap has a really interesting notched 5-petal flower shape of its own, which reminds me a bit of a cherry blossom. I'd like to experiment more with the effects of shaping the negative space on a temari by choosing where I stitch — akin to white space in graphic design, I suppose.

Black thread wrap; S10 division lines in metallic silver; embroidery in four shades of gray (the lightest is pearl gray, not white), two shades of orange, and two shades of purple. The quote by Henry David Thoreau is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.4 inches / 8.6 cm. Completed 12 October 2011 (no. 044).

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prepped mari

2011-10-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

A bowl of six prepped mari — ready for stitching. For each I have a design in mind; and each already has a bell box inside with a quote or haiku. The next step is to map the division lines, which is done with just a paper strip and some pins (though I often use a fabric tape measure for more complicated divisions). Then the division lines are wrapped and tacked in metallic thread (or sometimes cotton perle, or sometimes regular thread that is removed once the pattern is stitched). I'll post about the process soon in the next installment of "anatomy of a temari."

The mari at top right is an experiment; the haiku inside starts "snow is upon snow," and I wanted to find a way to evoke the look of new-fallen snow. I wrapped the mari first with gray thread, and once that was complete, added some wraps of ecru thread — enough to stand out, but not so much that plenty of gray doesn't show through.

our imagination flies

2011-10-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our imagination flies — we are its shadow on the earth.
— Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)

This temari employs a wrapped pattern, alternating two colors of thread, resulting in a very dimensional effect. It took me awhile to figure out how to make this one; I'm pleased with the result. In addition to being an author, Nabokov was also a highly regarded lepidopterist, and specialized in study of at least one species of blue butterfly. I chose the colors to evoke what are referred to as "Nabokov's Blues."

Lilac thread wrap (very pale purple); embroidery wrap in periwinkle-violet and dark navy blue. The quote by Vladimir Nabokov is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26.3 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches / 8.4 cm. Completed 9 October 2011 (no. 040).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

drinking morning tea (chrysanthemum)

2011-10-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

drinking morning tea
the monk is peaceful
the chrysanthemum blooms
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

The chrysanthemum is possibly the quintessential traditional Japanese design. Sixteen petals, traditionally white with an inner color at the kiku points (kiku means chrysanthemum, as well as a term for the type of herringbone stitch used at the inner points of the petals). This is my first true chrysanthemum temari. ("A Good Poem" is chrysanthemum-style, but obviously a variant.)

Thread wrap in medium brown; S16 division with metallic copper; embroidery in light tea green, medium tea green, light brown and cream. The haiku above by Matsuo Bashō is in the bell box along with 16 brass rings (for the 16 petals). Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 9 cm. Completed 08 October 2011 (no. 039).

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scissors hesitate

2011-10-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Before the white chrysanthemum
the scissors hesitate
a moment.
— Yosa Buson (1716–1783)

This temari was inspired by a pattern by Barbara Suess. Three four-petal kiku herringbone stars/flowers at each pole, layered. I wanted this to be very subtle and soft, and chose light colors, with the contrasting gray not too dark. Experimenting, the stars at the south pole are offset from those at the north pole resulting in an asymmetrical design. At the north pole the gray star has varying petal lengths, while at the south pole the thinner cream star has varying petal lengths, which results in a zig-zag appearance at the equator (which has no marking line or obi).

Thread wrap in ecru; S8 division in metallic silver; embroidery in cream and light silver-gray, with highlights and edging in metallic silver. The haiku by Buson is in the bell box, with seven brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches / 8.27 cm. Completed 5 October 2011 (no. 038).

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starry night (contemplation)

2011-10-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Contemplation is the highest form of activity.
—Aristotle

Two kiku herringbone stars, interwoven, at each pole — created with colors to evoke van Gogh's painting "The Starry Night."

Thread wrap in dark navy blue; S8 division in metallic gold; embroidery in three shades of blue, three shades of yellow, and cream. The quote from Aristotle is in the bell box, with eleven brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches / 8.27 cm. Completed 3 October 2011 (no. 037).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

Arrange whatever pieces come your way — all-over stripes

2011-10-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Arrange whatever pieces come your way.
— Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)

Another in the all-over wrapped "web" style like no. 34 (meaning that none of the thread wrap shows through, and the back-stitching over the division lines are evocative of a spiderweb). Many of the newer patterns I am trying out first to practice and figure out the bugs, and then making the next to sell on Etsy.

Brown thread wrap (which you don't see); heavy cotton thread, like package-tying thread, for division lines (S8 division); embroidery wrap in browns, blues, and purples. The quote by Virginia Woolf is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10.375 inches / 24.5 cm; diameter: 3.30 inches / 7.8 cm. Completed 2 October 2011 (no. 036).

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katydid

2011-10-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

katydid —
caught by someone
waiting for the stars
– Issa (1768–1827)

This is a second version of no. 33, with a few changes. Creating it was easier this time around, having practiced on the first one. Rather than marking it as an S12, I just marked an S6, and added the graphite "division" lines after the bands, before the obi, placed by eye.

Black thread wrap with embroidery in dusky lavender, pale yellow, light olive green, & edging in graphite gray; a wide black obi (18ish rows) with "x"s over it at the bands. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10 inches / 25 cm; diameter: 3.18 inches / 8 cm. Completed 1 October 2011 (no. 035).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

all-over wrap = stripey web

2011-09-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

Arrange whatever pieces come your way.
— Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)

This is an "all over" design, meaning that none of the thread wrap shows through. It's the first all over design I've tried, and pretty simple — it's simply wrapping with back-stitching over the division lines, which were made in a heavy-weight cotton thread. I had wanted to do something evocative of a spiderweb, and while I am sure I didn't "invent" this, haven't seen anything like it; it was a solution I came upon having done some similar "spiderweb" embroidery techniques many years ago, and just had to figure out how to apply that to a sphere.

Mystery color thread wrap (actually, it's brown); heavy cotton thread, like package-tying thread, for division lines (S8 division); embroidery wrap in browns, blues, reds, and purples. The quote by Virginia Woolf is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: 3.18 inches / 8 cm. Completed 29 September 2011 (no. 034).

layered bands form a star . . .

2011-09-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

This is a variation of an adaptation of an interpretation of a pattern . . . you get the idea. My own variation on several termari I have seen in this general style: wrapped layered & woven bands on an S6 division that form a star at the poles where they intersect. This one takes three needles going at the same time and is a bit of a juggle. I actually made it an S12 division and marked 6 of the lines with metallic copper, and stitched the pattern on the other 6.

Black thread wrap with S6 [S12] division in metallic copper; embroidery in dusky lavender, light golden yellow-orange, khaki green, with edging and obi in graphite gray. The quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 26 September 2011 (no. 033).

focus in the brightest

2011-09-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.
— the Dalai Lama
[His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama] (1935– )

Another C10 all-over spiral pattern, like "firefly"; this is the finished temari of which I posted an in-progress photo a few days ago.

Medium silver gray thread wrap with embroidery in light tea green. The quotation by the Dalai Lama is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches / 8.25 cm. Completed 25 September 2011 (no. 032).

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C10 all-over spiral

2011-09-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

All blocked out with pins, ready to stitch a C10 all-over spiral. (no. 32 in progress)

Update 27 September: Finished . . .

a good poem

2011-09-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it.
— Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)

My first 16-point kiku herringbone flowers, layered in two colors (each has 8 petals). I left off the obi and made the ends of the ends of the petals uneven (falling both above and below the equator for each flower), asymmetrical, so that the larger flower at the north pole meets the smaller one at the south pole at "random," varying points.

Thread wrap in ecru; S16 division (north – south lines only) in metallic silver; embroidery in dusky antique lavender and medium silver gray. The quotation by Dylan Thomas is in the bell box with seven brass rings. Circumference: 11.5 inches / 29 cm; diameter: 3.66 inches / 9.25 cm. Completed 23 September 2011 (no. 031).

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life in widening circles

2011-09-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world
— Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926)

The wide wrapped bands pattern of "all the details" (no. 027) looks like the stripes are "woven" where they intersect, because the thread is wrapped in such an order that it overlays in alternating directions. Yet after finishing that, I wanted to actually weave the threads at the intersections, so this is how this temari came to be.

Thread wrap in dark brown; S4 division but division markings thread was removed; embroidery in browns, blues, and cream. The verse by Rainer Maria Rilke is in the bell box with eleven brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.35 inches /8.5 cm. Completed 20 September 2011 (no. 030).

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the moon so pure

2011-09-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

the moon so pure
a wandering monk carries it
across the sand
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

One of the temari groups I follow is Talk Temari. A challenge was put out to members to create a "new to them" temari, pushing the comfort zone so to speak, employing at least three specific techniques from an "official" list. This is my answer to the challenge; it uses a C8 division, Uwagake Chidori Kagari (kiku herringbone), and Kousa Style (interwoven shapes). I didn't follow any patterns, tutorials, or photos for this one.

There are six stars total; at each pole the star is solid off-white; the four around the equator use five colors.

Thread wrap in ecru; C8 division with ecru perle; embroidery in five shades of chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, vanilla. The haiku above by Matsuo Bashō is in the bell box along with nine brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches /8.25 cm. Completed 15 September 2011 (no. 029).

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this very moment

2011-09-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, luckily for us, it's with us wherever we are.
— Pema Chödrön

Another wrapped band variation in the style of "Wishing Papers," as I refine the design with the best (for me) circumference, number of rows, number of threads per row, and obi width to make it all fall into place tidily and be as aesthetically pleasing as possible! I do believe this is my favorite one so far.

Thread wrap in light slightly-bluish green (celadon green, I call it); S6 division with fine metallic silver; embroidery in four shades of celadon (even kind of jade) green and ecru. The quotation above by Pema Chödrön is in the bell box along with seven brass rings. Circumference: 10 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: just over 3 inches /8 cm. Completed 14 September 2011 (no. 028).

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all the details

2011-09-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.
— William Morris (1834–1896)

I wanted to revisit the color combination from "temple bell" with a new pattern. I've seen many examples of wide wrapped bands (three on a simple 4 division), and sought to try my own variation. Each layer of color is wrapped along the obi and the divisions so that each subsequent layer lies on top and at the intersections they're interwoven. Yellow on the obi, yellow on the 1st division, yellow on the 2nd division; blue on the obi, blue on the 1st division, blue on the 2nd division; etc. "Tacked" with squares outlining the intersections.

Thread wrap in black; S4 division in light butter yellow perle cotton; embroidery in dark blue, purple, lavender, medium butter yellow, and light butter yellow. The quotation by William Morris is in the bell box with eleven brass rings. Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches /8.5 cm. Completed 11 September 2011 (no. 027).

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firefly

2011-09-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

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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prettier than a bowl of plastic fruit

2011-09-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

deep into autumn

2011-09-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

deep into autumn
a butterfly sipping there
chrysanthemum dew
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

A second two layered four-petal kiku herringbone design, like no. 021. I wanted to evoke the colors and patterns of the Japanese Maple tree in autumn.

Medium grayish brown thread wrap; metallic copper for division lines (S8 division); embroidery in wine red and light tan, plus shades of chocolate brown and metallic copper for edging (and the obi). The haiku by Matsuo Bashō is in the bell box along with 16 brass rings (16 is an auspicious number in Japanese history). Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 9 cm. Completed 9 September 2011 (no. 024).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

up at the stars (2)

2011-09-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
— Stephen Hawking

I was going to do a wrapped band experiment in the spirit of Wishing Papers pattern (see no. 023) but decided to do a six-point kiku star instead, to honor the quotation. This is the first S16 division I have made, and the first six-pointer. This is also the first temari that I will list for sale in my new Etsy shop, which itself is an experiment.

While I've sold chain maille jewelry and drawings & paintings on Etsy for over four years, selling temari is a whole different thing. Given the spirit of generosity, humanity, and the good wishes of the maker — and the tradition of temari being a gift given to loved ones — it seems a slight paradox. One thing my Etsy shop will do is loan the total proceeds of each temari sold through Kiva.org: I wax lyrical about this on the Shop Policy page.

Silver blue thread wrap; S12 division with metallic silver; embroidery in dark pewter gray, three shades of silver blue, and pearl gray. The quote by Stephen Hawking is in the bell box with eleven brass rings. Circumference: 11.25 inches / 28.5 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 9 cm. Completed 6 September 2011 (no. 026). Temari are numbered based on the starting date, not the finishing date, which is why they may fall out of order.

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

anatomy of a temari: part three

2011-09-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

Finishing the Mari

Once the core is prepared — I use rice hulls in a section of a new stocking or sock to form a ball, like a snow ball — the next step is to wrap it. First it is wrapped with yarn, then with thread. The size I want my finished temari to be is what dictates both the amount of rice hulls I use (anywhere from 3/4 cup to 1.5 cups, for the temari to date in this blog), and also the amount of yarn.

Using extremely soft yarn, I wrap the core gently and randomly until it is entirely covered. The wrapping must be random and loose to keep the shape round and free of lumps.

yarn wrap

The next step is to wrap thread over the yarn. Regular sewing machine thread, in the color that will be the [back]ground of the temari. The thread must also be wrapped randomly without bunching or having lots of parallel strands, and only moderate tension should be used. If it is too tight, it will be impossible to sew through. The end result should result in a "springy," round-as-possible temari. The thread will compress the yarn, making the finished temari somewhat smaller in circumference than the yarn-wrapped stage.

While this is the most laborious (and sometimes tedious) step of temari making, it is also incredibly rewarding. Since one must concentrate to wrap randomly yet consistently, one can regard it as a zen-like task, a "meditational" task. The result — a mari base made from scratch and ready to embroider — is so worth it.

For an even more elaborate description of the process, visit the excellent site TemariKai.

thread wrap

up at the stars

2011-09-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
— Stephen Hawking

Another attempt at the Wishing Papers pattern which employs the wrapped bands technique (see variations here, here, and here). Still struggling with aligning the threads neatly where they gather at the obi, and not wrapping so tightly that the ball puffs out where there aren't bands. Still not doing it very well! I'm so intrigued by the braided effect, I'm wondering if there's an alternate way to achieve this with a different formation of wrapped bands (while I continue to practice this one).

Silver blue thread wrap; S6 division with metallic silver; embroidery in dark pewter gray, three shades of silver blue, and pearl gray. The quote by Stephen Hawking is in the bell box with nine brass rings. Circumference (before wrapping!): 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 9 cm. Completed 3 September 2011 (no. 023).

Top (pole) view.

Side (obi / equator) view.

Goten Mari National Competition

2011-09-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

全国ごてんまりコンクール // The Goten Mari National Competition
These links (via the Temari Challenge Group) are from past national competitions in Japan. The 42nd National Competition will be held this year in Akita (October 29–31).

• Photos of pretty spectacular temari from — I believe — the 40th National Competition in 2009 (I don't know Japanese — I rely on Google Translator).

• A video of more amazing temari as well as artisans at work (embedded below).

Here are two links via the Talk Temari group:

• A slideshow, including many of the same works as in the show, plus many more.

• An article from The Daily Yomiuri about temari and an artist named Toshiko Abe.

out of the nest — layered kiku herringbone

2011-09-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.
— Pema Chödrön

The previous temari, a five-petal kiku herringbone (as was no. 17), prepared me for this one: the two layered four-petal kiku herringbone design. Since I'd never done embroidery before beginning temari, looking first at the pattern photographs I had no idea how it would be created. It's actually quite simple — but looks complicated and impressive! I learned this from the book by Barbara Suess.

Light bluish green (I think of it as celadon green) thread wrap; metallic silver for division lines (S8 division); embroidery in matching celadon green, and a green a couple shades darker, plus metallic silver perle and very dark green for edging (and the obi). The quote by Pema Chödrön is in the bell box along with 27 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 9 cm. Completed 31 August 2011 (no. 021).

Pole (top) view.

Obi (equator / side) view.

temple bell

2011-08-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

The temple bell stops.
But the sound keeps coming
out of the flowers.
—Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

Another kiku herringbone five-petal flower. For the first time I used straight stitches to secure the obi, rather than a herringbone pattern. I like the "arts & crafts" look of it — I think that has a lot to do with the colors, too.

Thread wrap in black; S10 division in metallic gold; embroidery in dark blue, purple, lavender, pale golden yellow, and a very slightly yellowish off-white. The haiku by Bashō is in the bell box with seven brass rings. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches / just over 8 cm. Completed 28 August 2011 (no. 021).

one month of temari

2011-08-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

I finished my first three temari on July 26 and to celebrate I created a very small temari as a cat toy. S8 division with a simple stripe using herringbone and kiku herringbone at the points. Light purple thread wrap, division lines in violet embroidery thread, embroidery in shades of gray and blue violet. Circumference: 6.5 inches / 16.5 cm; diameter: 2 inches / just over 5 cm. Completed 26 August 2011 (no. 020).

Arrange whatever pieces come your way.

2011-08-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

Arrange whatever pieces come your way.
— Virginia Woolf

This temari was an experiment with the traditional wrapped band technique I learned trying the Wishing Papers pattern. Wishing Papers is done on a C6 (combination 6) division*, and I was curious if a C8 (combination 8) division would enhance the pattern. The answer is no. However, it has an interesting affect, if a little sparse. The C6 works because the divisions provides three axes and the overlapping bands result in a braid-like formation. The C8 doesn't provide more diagonal axes. At least, presuming I did this correctly. I don't pretend to fully understand the math. In any case, the C8 actually gave me just two places to do the wrapped bands, not three.

While I could have made wider bands, or chosen more colors and done more bands, I am still learning how to keep the threads from bunching at the obi (equator), where, they cross — that part that is covered later by the back-stitching and looks like a little "tube." The more thread, the more pile-up, the more trouble I have still keeping the bands flat as they come out of the obi, so I limit how many threads I use. But getting better at this will come with time and practice, too.

Ecru thread for the base thread-wrap; fine gold metallic for the division lines as well as highlights; embroidery in gradated shades of light golden brown, silver brown, blue, and gray green. The quote by Virgina Woolf is in the bell box, with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: just over 3.25 inches / just under 8.5 cm. Completed 24 August 2011 (no. 019).

* 4 September 2011 Update: As I continue to learn the very basics, I've realized that Wishing Papers is actually just a simple 6 (S6) division, not a combination 6 (C6) as stated above. This would explain why the C8 division doesn't give me more lines on which to create the wraps. So Wishing Papers is S6, with no diagonal divisions — the pattern itself adds the three axes for the wraps, not the division.

Top (pole) view.

Side (equator / obi) view.

3/4 view.

contemplation — "maritime stars"

2011-08-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

Contemplation is the highest form of activity.
—Aristotle

This temari is my color variation on a design by Barbara Suess, "Maritime Stars" (her original is in blue, white, and black). It combines kiku stars (six of them) with the rest filled in with an "all-over" swirl. It's a combination of techniques that I first learned with the five-petal kiku herringbone and Suess's "Oliver Twist" pattern.

This is the first C8 (combination 8) division I have done. Creating the division wasn't hard, but the stars need to be perfectly placed and executed and that seems to require some feat of engineering that I have yet to fully understand. Still, it is a fairly forgiving pattern, maybe just because it is so nice to look at . . .

Thread wrap in very dark brown; no division lines (they're removed partway through the process); embroidery in light blue, dark chocolate brown, and three more shades of brown each one shade lighter. The quote by Aristotle is in the bell box, with twelve brass rings. Circumference: just over 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.25 inches / 8 cm. Completed 22 August 2011 (no. 018).

moment after moment — kiku herringbone

2011-08-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

Our way is to see what we are doing, moment after moment.
—Shunryu Suzuki (1904–1971)

This temari features a five petal kiku herringbone flower. Kiku herringbone refers to a particular style of stitch — on the inner points of the petals, the stitches go under and around, overlapping the rest of the row. This is the kiku herringbone stitch.

The quote by Shunryu Suzuki is in the bell box, with eleven brass rings; the rice hulls are mixed with dried lavender.

Dark silver-gray thread wrap; metallic silver for the division lines (this is an S10 division [simple 10]); and embroidery in golden yellow-orange, three shades of silver-gray, and light pearl gray. Circumference: 10 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: just under 3.25 inches / just over 8 cm. Completed 19 August 2011 (no. 017).

a different kind of bouquet

2011-08-20T12:44:00.001-07:00

oliver twist no. 3

2011-08-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

The third "Oliver Twist" temari — my stitching is improving, getting more even. This one has a thread-wrap of very dark green, with embroidery in a sort of celadon green (called medium blue green by the manufacturer). Circumference: 9.5 inches / 24.5 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.8 cm. Completed 18 August 2011 (no. 016).