Free Temari Workbook of Divisions and Markings

As I've worked my way through the certification process of the Japan Temari Association, I realized that while I have access to lots of diagrams (I drew them for my books, of course!), other temari stitchers might not have this resource. 

How can you record your work on advanced temari markings without excellent diagrams? Not easy, for sure. I asked our JTA contact in Japan and they did not have a set of diagrams to offer me or anyone else. It's up to the individual teacher to provide them. Well, I think temari stitching should be about stitching, not about improving your computer skills so you can draw a diagram of your own. So I have collected my best diagrams and put them into one pdf - a book you can download for free and use. 

Happily, this book will be distributed in Japan soon! I'm so grateful to be able to give back and help out teachers over there. They will be giving me feedback so I see improvements in the future. Meanwhile, please feel free to download Version 1.0! And send feed back. I'm happy to hear from you.

Link to download the new book

Tiny Temari and Cute Assessories and Temari Addict Australia!

Rebecca from Perth has been making the most adorable hairsticks! Have a look at her recent blog posts.

She has been inspired by a new book from Japan - Tiny Temari and Cute Assessories

So cute, Rebecca!

Great review from Library Journal!

Verdict: thumbs up! Your local library can now access the review and purchase Temari Techniques for their collections. Please spread the word. 

"Suess, Barbara B. Temari Techniques: A Visual Guide to Making Japanese Embroidered Thread Balls. Breckling Pr., dist. by Independent Publishers Group. 2012. c.209p. illus. photogs. index. ISBN 9781933308326. pap. $29.95. FIBER CRAFTS

Embroidery and geometry collide in temari, a traditional Japanese fiber craft of spheres embellished with colorful thread. In this comprehensive guide to temari, Suess (Japanese Kimekomi: Fast, Fun, and Fabulous Fabric Handballs ) introduces the basics of the craft, beginning with creating the core of the temari ball and progressing to selecting a design for the outside and hand stitching techniques for temari. The patterns range from simple wrapped designs to detailed combinations of wrapping and hand stitching. Diagrams for the designs are provided.

VERDICT Embroiderers of all skill levels, as well as fans of Japanese culture and handcraft, will find themselves inspired by Suess’s creations."

A surprise in an out-of-print temari book

Out-of-print temari book from 1992

Since I contracted this crazy addition to making temari, I have collected books on the craft from Japan. At first I ordered a few from Japanese book stores. Then my husband stopped by the JTA shop in Tokyo and bought me a few when he traveled there for business. What a sweetie! Ebay has always been a good source but you really have to watch the prices and make sure you don't pay too much, especially with shipping added.

Sometimes, an out-of-print book sneaks on to eBay, one that I haven't seen before. I just got my hands on a copy of the New Life Series 7 book about temari titled Tanoshii Temari Nyumon (Temari Lessons for Beginners) ISBN 4-522-01307-8. It was written by Chiyoko Ozaki and published in 1992.

This copy is in perfect condition! I'm so lucky to find a mint condition book even though it's twenty years old. It's 125 pages and like most of the temari books from Japan, the color photos are grouped in the front of the book with instructions in black and white placed at the back. It's too bad this book is out of print. It would be a wonderful resource for beginners. The instructions are brief like so many of the Japanese books, but there is a lot to be learned from the photos and diagrams. It teaches simple divisions, as well as combination 8 and combination 10 (beginning with a simple 10). Most of the basic stitches and designs are represented - wrapped bands, spindles, and lot of variations of herringbone stitching for example.

The surprise? Just a little something I've not seen before.  It made me smile. So simple - the ball on the left in the scan below uses a very different path for the kiku herringbone stitching. Can you see it? You can click on this scan to make it bigger.

The inside point and outside point are taken on the same guideline. Then you'd skip a guideline. The artist must have adjusted the guidelines before beginning so they are paired (another novel idea). This is a simple 16 division. How fascinating!

The middle temari in the scan uses the same technique but skips two guidelines. And the guidelines are evenly spaced at the top. This is a simple 15 division - very unusual.

The swirling effect in the ball on the right side is a slightly different path. After stitching at an inside point, go back one guideline to make the stitch for an outside point. Then skip over a guideline to make the stitch for an inside point. Once again, it's a simple 15 division.

There is always something new to learn with temari!

And the winner is....

# 17 Laura Bezzeg is the lucky draw for a copy of Echiro Temari, given by Sensei Ozaki in Tokyo!

To everyone who left comments about temari, thank you so much for expressing your love of the craft. We all enjoyed reading them!

Laura, I'll put your book in the mail today.

Echiro Temari - Book Give-Away!

Echiro Temari, a book in Japanese

Echiro Temari No ISBN. 68 pages. Published in 2005.

This is a small hardback book published to showcase the work on a temari teacher from Echiro. There are many striking black and white designs like these on the cover and also a series of traditional blue and white temari. There are no diagrams. This is a collection of photographs of intricately stitched temari.

When we went to Tokyo last fall, Sensei Ozaki gave each of us a copy of this book. I've already got a copy and decided right away to give it away here on my blog. Finally, six months later, here we go!

1. To enter to win this book, post a comment before Sunday, June 10, midnight, EST (US east coast).
2. Be sure that your name is given. Do not put your email unless you want it displayed here.
3. Tell me why you like to make temari. Use lots of adjectives! How does stitching them make you feel? Do you love to give them away or get satisfaction from selling them? What's your motivation?
4. Make sure you are subscribed to my email list. I have a new service for this just last week. If you aren't sure, then please fill out the contact form on my website.
5. On the morning of Monday, June 11, check back here and I'll announce the winner.

Good luck!

[Update Wednesday, May 29 - I'm so impressed with the eloquence of your comments! You've captured my feelings about making temari too. Keep them coming.
To leave a comment, click on the link at the bottom of this post that has the number of comments. Scroll to the bottom of that page and type your comment in the white block. Make sure you give your name. Select anonymous in the drop down menu. Publish.]

Sneak peek inside Temari Techniques

Click on this link to have a look at the contents and some other pages from the new book.

Did you get your copy yet? I'd really appreciate your review.

 Please click on this link and add your review in the comments section.

Ready to order? The books are here and waiting for you. Please visit my website to order.

Update: today is Thursday, May 24, and the mailman will pick up the last of the books that were preordered! Poor guy must be as worn out as me. Everyone who has ordered from me should have their book by Monday or Tuesday next week if you live in the US. All parcels were sent by priority mail. Packages going overseas were also sent priority and should arrive within 6 - 10 business days. 

Quick post

Just to let you know that I'm at the Carolina Fiber Fest for three full days. Friday, I met lots of "internet" friends face-to-face. It means so much to make that connection! Groups came from New Bern, Wilmington, Richmond (Va), Cary, and of course Raleigh. This is SO much fun. Honestly, I'm having a ball :)

Book news: Yes, it finally arrived! I managed to send out 50 copies before Fiber Fest and I'll get back to the rest next week. If you ordered through PayPal, you will get a notice of shipping. Please be patient. I'm working like a dog here trying to get everything done. It's it weird how everything happens at once!

Friends Meg and Richard gave me flowers and champagne for my 60th birthday. Aren't these lilies beautiful!

Sunflowers Class Schedule and Book Update

Oh my goodness, I am swamped with orders for Temari Techniques and with people signing up for Sunflowers Online Class. Thank you all so much for your support and joining me in my addiction to temari!

Book Update - my publisher just told me that Temari Techniques will arrive at her warehouse on May 9 unless there is a customs inspection to delay it. She said she's never had this happen before so let's cross our fingers. This is about two weeks later than expected when she placed the order but things happen, ya know? At least now we have a date.

If you haven't ordered from me yet, please do it now so I can get a book for you from my publisher. I'll start at the top of the list of orders (by date) when I begin to mail. Here's the link to the order page.

Sunflowers Class - Hard to believe but it's been two years since we last ran this class with the Shining Needle Society. I get requests for this one on a regular basis and decided it's time to run it again. This one is for experienced beginners. If you've made temari before and are pretty good at making the round ball and marking simple divisions, join us to learn a combination 8 division and many different ways to stitch a kiku herringbone and triwings. This time I'm adding videos of the whole process beginning with making the ball. So you'll be able to watch over my shoulder as I stitch the three temari in the class.

Why the big price jump? It's scary how much things have gone up since I ran this class before. When I priced the kit this time, almost everything has increased, including postage. I added a bit more to my teaching fee since I'll make the videos. There is an audit option for those who have taken this class from me before. I sure wish I could do something about this, but believe me, I've kept it as low as I can. Still, I think for the big kit and four weeks of instruction and a group that stays open for many months, it's not a bad deal. You don't have to travel and pay for a hotel. Stay at home and stitch in your PJ's!

Here is the link to the sign up page for the class. I hope you can join us.

Temari Techniques for Eggs

Patterns included with the purchase of Temari Techniques

Extra patterns included with book purchase

When you purchase my new temari book through my website, I'll send you Temari Techniques for Eggs - a $12 value.

Quick link to purchase

Temari Techniques for Eggs

Temari Techniques for Eggs

Mixed emotions with the first glance

Two copies of Temari Techniques arrived on my doorstep here in Raleigh on Monday. My first thought when I opened the box from my publisher was "God, it's TOO big!"  I've had a different reaction with each of my three books.  It's a very emotional experience to have been working so long and so hard on a project and finally receive the book in the mail.

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!

Open for pre-orders for Temari Techniques

new temari book

My advance copies have arrived here in Raleigh!

That means I can open up the web page for pre-orders. 

Support the author - when you purchase the book directly from me, you'll get a signed copy and I'll include a pattern set all about making temari eggs. You won't get either of those if you purchase anywhere else.

Be sure to check out the contents page, too.

Advertising for Temari Techniques (new book)

Temari stitched by Barb for the new book Temari Techniques

I could use your help. Do you know of magazines or other spots that would be good for advertising my new book? My publisher has the quilting places already under control. We are looking for publications that feature embroidery and other fiber arts. If you can help, please leave a comment or send me an email (barb@japanesetemari.com).
Thanks!

New temari book - a look at the covers

front and back covers

 My new book is at the printers! Finally, after many years of working on it, I can relax with no more big deadlines and pressure. Whew! My publisher Anne Knudsen says it will be ready to ship by the end of April. So, let's keep our fingers crossed that all goes well.

In a few weeks, I'll open for pre-orders. Are you on my mailing list? If not, please add your name. I'll send out an announcement by email.

Coming in March - A new temari book

Temari book from Japan - Dream in Temari 2010

It's always exciting to find a new temari book out of Japan. While visiting Japan, we saw a book from a group of temari stitchers called Non-Profit Organization Japan Temari Cultural Association. They have a website here....

Japanese Family Crests and Designing for Temari

Want to add meaning to your temari designs?  Need inspiration on arrangement of stitched motifs? The Elements of Japanese Design, A Handbook of Family Crests, Heraldry & Symbolism by John Dower has been one of my best sources. And we all know every artist needs her sources, right?

"The Elements of Japanese Design is a library of traditional Japanese design motifs in the form of more than 2,700 family crests (mon) compiled and drawn by a Kyoto publisher and bookseller early in the twentieth century, and selected and interpreted by John Dower, a leading American scholar of Japan.

Weaving Designs for Fill

The TemariChallenge group "Flower Challenge" is still challenging me! I'm working on the third of 12 pentagons to be filled with some of my favorite flowers. I've chosen the cute, little forget-me-not flower for the next one. For the background, I've stitched a hexagonal weave and will place the blue and yellow flowers on top. What's a hexagonal weave? The topic for today's post - that's what it is.