begin in emotion

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
— Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

This is the first time I have used variegated thread that was "machine" variegated — manufactured that way, as opposed to hand-dyed. I wasn't sure I'd like it, but in this case I really do. I never stitch in white, and some of the other variegated colors run all the way to white; but this steel gray one goes from black to light gray. I love the effect it produces on something simple as this kiku (chrysanthemum) pattern.

Thread wrap in celadon green (a very light blue-ish green); S16 division in metallic silver. Embroidery in variegated steel gray, and in a silvery-white-birch-like-color. The quote by Paul Cézanne is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 31 December 2012 (no. 237).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

Compare the variegated gray petals at one pole . . .

. . . with the petals at other pole. Neat.

transform

Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.
— Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)

The rose garden design at either end, with merry-go-round descending kiku herring bone stitching around the middle.

Thread wrap in midnight blue; S12 division. Embroidery in lots of shades of blues and yellows, with highlights in metallic gold and silver. The quote by Pablo Picasso is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 30 December 2012 (no. 235).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org. 

always remember

Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
— A.A. Milne (1882–1956)

A second go at descending herringbone.

Thread wrap in chocolate brown; S10 division in matching perle 8. Embroidery in eleven shades of browns and blues. The quote by A.A. Milne is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 9.625 inches / 24.5 cm; diameter: 3.06 inches / 7.79 cm. Completed 29 December 2012 (no. 234).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

next shop update

The next shop update will be January 1st, at 4 p.m. eastern time. It will be a small one! just two or three temari perhaps, but I wanted to do it on New Year's Day because temari are traditional as gifts for the new year (albeit the Asian New Year). It is (or was) traditional for mothers in Japan to make a temari and leave it by the bedside of her daughter to wake up to on New Year's Day.

So please drop by the shop on the first! Happy New Year, and thank you for all the support during 2012!

woven in plum scent

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

My tribute to the holidays!

Thread wrap in purple; S6 division, no guidelines. Embroidery in ten shades of violet, plum, purple, lavender, orchid, and metallic silver. The haiku by Issa is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27.5 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.75 cm. Completed 22 December 2012 (no. 231).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

the more abstract, the more real

The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real.
— Lucien Freud (1922–2011)

Another swirl, of the C8 cw / ccw variety, with the tacking in metallic thread. This tacking style on a C10 received some lovely compliments from some fellow temari-makers, and I continue to enjoy how it looks and enhances the patterns in the design.

Thread wrap in black. C8 division with metallic copper tacking. Stitching in light silvery-gray (with a very slight tinge of beige—a "white birch bark" kind of color). The quote by Lucien Freud is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 26.8 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.53 cm. Completed 20 December 2012 (no. 227).

Sold to beneft Kiva.org.

 

only with the heart

Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–1944), The Little Prince

Warmth (maybe?) for the wintery season upon us.

S12 division in perle #8. Thread wrap in ecru. Embroidery in ecru, silver-gray, and black. The quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.375 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.3 inches / 8.4 cm. Completed 13 December 2012 (no. 226).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

thousands of candles

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the single candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
— Buddha

My second go at a C10 clockwise / counter-clockwise swirl; this time I realized I needed to put exactly the same number of stitches into each of the 120 triangles (as opposed to just filling them with however many it took), as well as always start the stitching at the right-angle corner of the triangle. I chose to tack all the C10 intersections with metallic gold in reference to the quote inside—all those candle flames.

Thread wrap in black. C10 division in golden yellow perle with metallic gold tacking. Stitching in golden yellow. Not counting the division or the tacking (or the stitches underground to get to the next triangle), 1440 visible stitches. . . . The quote by the Buddha is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 11.75 inches / 29.7 cm; diameter: 3.74 inches / 9.5 cm. Completed 13 December 2012 (no. 221).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

art is . . .

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.
— Edgar Degas (1834–1917)

Thread wrap in purple. S12 division in metallic silver. Embroidery in 11 shades of avocado greens (and a couple avocado browns). The quote by Edgar Degas is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.375 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.3 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 11 December 2012 (no. 225).

Sold to benefit on Kiva.org.

 

the simple things

It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary . . .
— Paulo Coelho (b. 1947)

Thread wrap in brass yellow. S6 division in oatmeal. Embroidery in 4 shades of muted gold, rusts, and chocolate brown. The quote by Paulo Coelho is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27.3 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.7 cm. Completed 8 December 2012 (no. 224).

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to deepen the mystery

The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.
— Francis Bacon (1909–1992)

A 16-pt kiku chrysanthemum with a gap between the last rows, as I am usually wont to do.

Thread wrap in violet-blue-purple. S8 division in metallic white. Embroidery in 5 shades: red, purple, orchid, and two golden yellows. The quote by Francis Bacon is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 11 inches / 28.2 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.9 cm. Completed 6 December 2012 (no. 223).

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castle in the clouds

There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.
— G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936)

A completely spontaneous original design, created as I was stitching. I was watching the documentary "Painters Painting" and was inspired by a quote from Helen Frankenthaler: "A picture that is beautiful . . . looks as if it was all made at one stroke." I was also thinking of atoms, and movement.

Thread wrap in "hacienda" — a not-bright orange with a touch of red. S8 division in metallic white. Embroidery in two blues and pale orange. The quote by G. K. Chesterton is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.125 inches / 25.7 cm; diameter: 3.22 inches / 8.18 cm. Completed 3 December 2012 (no. 222).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.