Japanese Temari: Easy interacting

I'm teaching a temari class online for experienced, intermediate stitchers and something came to mind when I was writing this week's lesson. It's a basic technique for temari - what do you do when two motifs intersect? We are stitching on a combination 10-division temari in class but these four techniques can be worked on any division. In fact, it's one of the first things temari makers learn.

It turns out these different ways to combine stitched shapes are very unique, each making for a brand new temari design. This is kind of exploration makes temari so fascinating and so much fun!

1. Overlapped stitching
Completely stitch the first shape, then stitch a second one right on top.

Overlapped Squares

First stitch the green herringbone.
Then overlap the purple herringbone stitching.

2. Interlocked stitching (nejiri kagari ねじりかがり)

Create knotted-looking designs by weaving between stitches. Stitch all rows on one shape then begin a second. Weave the threads of the second shape under and over the sides of the first shape as you go. To weave, turn your needle around and slip the eye end under the threads of the first shape. Try not to catch any of the thread wrap. Continue to add rows to the second shape, weaving each row under and over the sides of the first shape like you did for the first row.

Interlocked Squares

Add all stitches to complete the first kiku herringbone
design. Then, when stitching the next one, weave
through the first to interlock.

3. Layered stitching (kousa kagari 交差かがり )

A layered design looks very intricate when completed yet it is easily accomplished by a slight change in the order of stitching. For the first step, begin by stitching one row on each of the shapes, overlapping new thread on top of previous stitches without weaving. For the second step, add another row to each shape. Continue with more rounds, adding a new row on each shape until they are the desired size. A secondary design is automatically created where the threads from the shapes cross.