With Japanese Temari, A Colorful Spin, it was more a feeling of disbelief, almost a detachment. Was that my work? Did I do that? Is it OK? Oh, no! Look how big she made the photos. She didn't fix the photo on the cover. She forgot! Are the rest OK or is the thread falling off the balls? My first reaction was that the whole book might just be a mess. I was a mess. Then I settled down to read the book and it seemed like all was well (except for that photo on the cover).
With Japanese Kimekomi, my first reaction was "SO SMALL! What a tiny book! Who will want to buy such a tiny book? " Our publisher wanted Kathy and I to limit the number of patterns to 15. She created the tiny book to sell to quilters and it's been a big seller for her. Groups of quilters have emailed me to say how much they have enjoyed making the kimekomi handballs with leftover fabric from their quilts. So all is well with that book, too.
Temari Techniques, A Visual Guide to Making Japanese Embroidered Thread Balls is huge. It's 208 pages and weighs in at a hair under two pounds. I'm thinking I might have to supply book stands for my elderly customers. I wanted to put everything I know about temari in this one but of course, I could never do that. There is always more to learn, more to say, more designs and tricks and techniques to come, especially when it comes to advanced topics. I did squeeze in a couple of pages on marking multi-centers temari along with lots of options for adding extra guidelines on simple divisions and C8 divisions. Have a look at the table of contents.
You can really help me by pre-ordering the book now by following this link to my website. I'm a bit worried about being overwhelmed in early May after the books arrive here. Right now, I have the time to get the envelopes ready and keep the accounting up-to-the-minute, the grunt work of an author who is trying to sell her book. As you probably know, when a book is sold on amazon or through a cut-rate dealer, the author gets just about nothing. So please, support the author!
To return the favor of your purchase, I'll sign your book and slip in a pattern set for transferring the patterns in the book to egg shapes. I've had a lot of fun working on the eggs lately and I think you'll enjoy this twist on traditional temari.
Mark your calendar for The Carolina Fiber Fest May 18 - 20
Dana Watson and Susan Fennell will be sharing a booth with me for the three-day festival. Dana will be bringing adorable tea-cup pin cushions and washi crafts. And Susan will provide gorgeous indigo-dyed pieces. I can't wait for the event! There will be so many vendors, displays, guild groups at work/play, contests, and classes. I'll bring my new book with the egg patterns for anyone who purchases the book from me at the event. Hope to see you there!
