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 ...

Winter temperatures have dropped dramatically in this part of the world in the last week , and my work room is cold… so most nights I have been watching some TV in the warmth of our family room. So, what projects can I do while watching shows like Master Chef each night? I decided to devote TV time to temari. Temari  are thread wrapped decoratively stitched balls - a Japanese folk craft originally made in ancient times to amuse children. I think most temari designers these days like to think of them as small works of  stitiched art. I was a raw beginner about six weeks ago when my mother got me started. I also bought a book which begins “How can anything that looks so intricate be so simple?” (from Japanese Temari, A Colorful Spin on an Ancient Craft by Barbara B. Suess). I must admit I was sceptical about the “simple” bit, but was surprised at the results from  familiar embroidery stitches. While I  haven’t attempted a complex division of the ba...