all-over wrap = stripey web

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 . . .

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

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).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

C10 all-over spiral

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

Update 27 September: Finished . . .

a good poem

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).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

life in widening circles

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).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

the moon so pure

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).


Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

this very moment

 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).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

all the details

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).


Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

firefly

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

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

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

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

prettier than a bowl of plastic fruit

deep into autumn

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)

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

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

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.