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.

Goten Mari National Competition

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

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.