Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2

Hunter Art Bazaar  9 Sept 2012  It was a glorious Spring day yesterday for the Hunter Art Bazaar in the beautiful location of the Hunter Valley Gardens (the vineyards , near Newcastle, New South Wales). We had all hoped the very windy  and wild conditions of the previous few days would disappear and we were not at all disappointed. We couldn't have imagined a more beautiful day for enjoying the amazing talents of  the artists of our region. Yes it was windy last week, but the "whirlwind"  I refer to was not caused naturally. It was activated by the "turbulence" created by a week of running workshops, trying to finish off a few items for the art bazaar, and complete the month's assignments for the blog challenge " Tag Tuesday ". I seem to have managed .... lots of little dolls , some temari, and some old stock helped the NCEATA (Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) stall. Fortunately, my creative partners all experienced si