the pace of nature

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).

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good tidings

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).


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Every single soul is a poem.

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

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).


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Life is about creating yourself.

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).


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your corner of the Forest

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).

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the music of what happens

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).


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