Moments of zen working on a new online class

Night fades to a calm, glassy river in the morning.

Beginner to intermediate class coming in 2013.

Desert Spirit with adaptations for Christmas Spirit and Water Spirit.

Need thread?

I need more metallic thread. Do you?

This is an opportunity for you to get your hands on 300 yard spools of thread from Rainbow Gallery. I need thread ASAP and will place the order on Monday morning at 9AM Eastern time, November 19. If you would like me to order cones for you, please contact me (barb@japanesetemari.com) and let me know what you would like. I will figure the postage and send you an invoice. I am not ordering individual cards at this time.

Prices:
Nordic Gold (any color) $19.50 per 300 yard spool
http://www.rainbowgallery.com/detail.cfm?ID=70

Treasure Braid Petite (any color) $23.75
http://www.rainbowgallery.com/detail.cfm?ID=372
http://www.rainbowgallery.com/detail.cfm?ID=992

Note that Treasure Braid Petite shimmer colors and white pearl are slightly higher in price.

If you see any other thread on their website that you'd like to order in the bulk size, let me know and I will ask them about the price.

Etsy gift cards now available

I love etsy.com! It's so easy to set up a shop and they are constantly improving and adding new features.

Here is a link to my temari shop there:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JapaneseTemari

To purchase a gift card:
http://www.etsy.com/giftcards

I've cleaned out and tuned up the listings. They have a feature now so you can pay for your item directly through the etsy.com site. No need to go through PayPal any more although you can if you'd prefer. The new feature that I love is the ability to create a gift card when you check out. I hope you'll check it out!

I've stitched many temari for books.
Now they are for sale in the shop.

Kimekomi hand ball by Barbara B. Suess

If you missed the class, you can purchase the DVD.

We've come a long way baby!

Yes, we've come a long way! Last weekend, one of the best temari stitchers in the US (I say this with prejudice since she's a "bestie" and I promise that it's SO TRUE) participated in Whidbey Weavers Guild Annual Show and Sale.

Kathy Hewitt of Tacoma and Whidbey Island, Washington, spent weeks gathering her temari, packaging and pricing them for the sale. It was a lot of hard work and since this was the first show of this sort for her, she was a bit worried about it going well.

She was highly successful! Who wouldn't want one of her gorgeous creations? Sales were fantastic and she was excited to be able to introduce temari to so many like-minded artists. One of the best things about a show like this is being able to share your passion with so many interested people. Kathy said she talked so much, her voice was strained and her mouth dry. She made a lot of contacts for the future and I bet her classes will be filled with happy students. She is, after all, certified by the Japan Temari Association in Tokyo as Shihan (Master Instructor).

The idea for the display boxes came from Rebecca from Perth, another "temari addict".  We found them in the US at ClearBags.com. They have lots and lots of styles. What a gorgeous presentation!

In case you missed the event, Kathy shared lots of pictures with me to pass on to everyone interested in temari and fiber arts. We love the way the guild displayed her temari along with other items for sale. They made color-coordinated and eye-popping displays.

Kathy Hewitt's temari stacked and ready to transport to the sale.

OT Painting furniture fun

Saving money...finding old furniture in the attic, under the house, at garage sales. Paint! Uh, oh, this could be addictive!

Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief

Link to donate for disaster relief

Hurricane Sandy

We are away from home, visiting our daughter in Madison, WI.  Our neighbors on the Pamlico River said Sandy passed and the water did not come over the bulkhead.  Our house is located on the west side of the Pamlico Sound and the wind was from the west pushing the water away from us. We are flying back to Raleigh this afternoon and do not expect any problems. Pray for those to the north!

Upcoming demo and class

I hope to see you!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Dana Watson and I will be stitching temari all day in Chapel Hill. Bring your temari and sit, stitch, visit.

The Ackland Art Museum
BUNKA NO HI | Japanese Culture Day    文化の日
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Free and open to the public. An all-ages event.

Join the Ackland on Bunka no Hi (Culture Day), a national holiday in Japan that celebrates culture and the arts. In addition to exploring the Ackland’s exhibitions of Japanese art, participate in workshops and events, learn about Japanese art forms like bonsai and temari (embroidered balls), and get creative with do-it-yourself activities available all day.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Temari class at my home in Raleigh, NC

Temari class by Barbara B. Suess

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!

Date change for Desert Spirit temari class

I've changed the date for temari class to Saturday, November 10. Hope you can make it!

Sign up for Desert Spirit temari class

Temari class on November 10, 2012

Unfolding Kiku temari pattern is ready for download

Much requested pattern for advanced temari stitchers....
Ready!

Purchase by download on my website

All day temari class at Barb's house

Saturday, November 3, 2012, at Barb's house in Raleigh, NC.
6 hour class beginning at  9 AM.  Please bring your lunch and a ball already wrapped and marked into a simple division.

Desert Spirit temari is a study of the herringbone stitch, elegantly executed on a simple division temari. It is photographed on page 16 of my book Temari Techniques. This class is suitable for advanced beginners who are able to make a large, round ball and mark it into a simple division temari. You should also have experience with herringbone stitching on temari and be ready to learn several variations.

We'll begin at 9 AM and take 30 minutes for lunch during the day. Please bring your lunch so you don't miss class time running out to eat. I will have lots of temari on display and my collection of Japanese temari books available for you to see. Let's talk about temari designs that you'd like to see me write up for future patterns. Bring show and tell. We'd love to see what you have been stitching!

Preparation: bring a temari already made and marked. I'll give you details when you sign up for class. You can use your own threads in colors of your choice or purchase a kit from me before class begins. If you decide to purchase the kit from me, you'll need to stop by and pick it up or have me mail it to you in time for you to make and mark the ball before class begins. Also, be sure to bring other temari already made and marked for practice stitching, especially if the stitches are new to you. I'll also give you details for those temari when you sign up.

Sign up on my website. I hope to see you soon!

"Everything is connected to a sphere..."

"On the macro level, the cosmic level, the whole universe is like a sphere.

The planets are spheres, ya know.  Atoms are spheres.

…It's probably the most natural form that we have. Things of wonder and beauty."

Bernard Hosey, artist

My good friend Kathy recently shared a link to a video about Bernard Hosey, a sculptor who creates spheres. This short video is beautifully done and well worth your time. I can relate!

The artist's website provides a biography, galleries of works, exhibitions, links, blog and contact information.

From Mr. Hosey's web gallery
"The 8-foot steel spheres are the beginning of a new dimension.
Despite the heavy weight of these steel spheres they look buoyant."
http://www.bernardhosey.com/gow_spheres_2.htm

Pre-mathmatics
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/photos/2010/mar/15/55903/

Cast on stitching makes an adorable, dimensional flower

Week 32 in Sharon's TAST (Take a stitch Tuesday) was the cast on stitch. If you have ever started a knitting project, this stitch will be a snap for you to pick up. It makes an adorable flower!

Cast on stitch

The flower stands up above the surface.

Progress so far on a new temari design

Ah, Pamlico

First of many sunsets to come at our new digs on the Pamlico

Want thread? Rainbow Gallery metallics are gorgeous!

I'm going to place an order from Rainbow Gallery for thread on Wednesday, September 5. With the holiday weekend coming up, this will give you plenty of time to have a look at their website and send me your wish list. I should be able to mail thread by September 14.

Here are some prices (shipping to you not included):

Nordic Gold 25 yard card $2.25
Treasure Braid Petite 25 yard card $2.75
Silk Lame Braid 10 yards $3.50
300 yard spool of Nordic Gold $20.25
300 yard spool of Treasure Braid Petite $24.75

I can order any of their thread in 300 yard spools. Prices depend on the type of thread so if you are interested in something other than Nordic Gold or Treasure Braid Petite, let me know and I'll ask the company. You can order any color for spools. They are put up individually. With cards, I have to order six at at time, so if you request an unusual color or type of thread, I'm not sure I'll get it for you, but I'll certainly try.

My favorite colors are Treasure Braid Petite: High Gloss Copper (PH13), Green (PB06), Gold (PB01), Bronze (PB21) and Red (PB07), Water Blue (PB17), Yellow (PB201), Rose (PB24), and Avocado (PB57). For Nordic Gold, my favorite colors are Silver (ND3), purple (ND10), gold (ND2), white pearl (ND4) , red (ND6), green (ND5), bronze (ND15).

Here is the link to Rainbow Gallery. Have a look and send me your wish list (barb@japanesetemari.com). Let me know if you want me to figure out the shipping cost.

New DVDs of Temari Class

Summer is winding down and I'm back to work. The last class that I ran online with the Shining Needle Society was Sunflowers temari. As the weeks went by, I stitched more of my favorite temari and made videos of the process for the students - very much an amateur production! I attached a Flip camera to the light by my stitching chair and filmed as I made the temari. Even with the home-made quality, students have given the videos great reviews. During a class, they are available online and many students like to purchase a DVD so they have a permanent copy.

Sunflowers Temari Class now on DVD

My first task after summer trips was to organize the videos and burn them and the class text on to DVDs. There are so many videos that I had to put them onto two disks!

These two DVDs include the 84 page text for the class and these videos:

1. Mark a simple 8 division (13 minutes)
2. Layered triwing and continuous triwing (11 minutes)
3. Interlocked triwing (4 minutes)
4. How to mark a C6 division (11 minutes)
5. Sunflower 1, Week 2 Temari Class (21 minutes)
6. Sunflower 2, Week 3 Temari Class (24 minutes)
7. Sunflower 3, Week 4 Temari Class (29 minutes)

If you took Sunflowers temari class online from me at any time in the past, you can order the DVDs for a reduced price. However, if you missed the class, you can now order the text and videos and work on them at your leisure.

Here is a link to the page on my website that has all the class information.

Sunflowers Temari Class DVDs

Grandmother Star Temari Class DVD

Ah, it's nice to be back to temari work!

Great news! More books are on the way.

I'll have copies to send on August 20, 2012. Please check out my website page for purchasing information.

Week 30 of Take a Stitch Tuesday (my how time flies!)

Week 30 of Take a Stitch Tuesday

Oyster stitch in the center forms a little flower. This is a really nice way to bulk up a lazy daisy (detached chain) stitch. The temari is a prototype. I'm working up a design that isn't quite there yet!

Flax leaf - studying the books

Still on the flax leaf kick, I've been pouring through my collection of Japanese temari books and finding some amazing designs that include asanoha, flax or hemp leaf design. No wonder. It's a very old an important product.

From The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook by Susan Briscoe:
"Star-like asanoha (hemp leaf) is probably the most famous sashiko pattern. It originally came from China, where it was associated with Buddhism and represented radiating light or even the inner light of the soul. Before cotton became available to ordinary people, hemp was a very important source of cloth. There are many asanoha variations. It was particularly popular for children's clothes and bedding, and clothing for newborn babies would be decorated with the design in the hope that the child would grow up strong like the hemp plant. It also symbolized a wish for good health."

Left front: dark red simple 16 division covered with flax leaf
Right front: pattern from Color Coordinated Temari, page 18

I get so distracted while stitching a temari from a Japanese book and often change the design along the way or stitch only the part of the pattern that really interests me. But finally, I managed to finish one. The largest ball (right front) in the photo above is from the book Color Coordinated Temari, page 18. I'll be sharing details of how I made this one in our Temari Challenge Yahoo group.

There are still so many more flax leaf temari that I want to try. I'm not sure where I'll head next but I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Laura B. recently finished a beautiful temari with flax leaf design. Check it out on her blog...

Flax leaf stitching fun

Carolina posted some fun that she had stitching flax leaf design on temari over on her blog Rududu's semitropical adventures! She learned the technique on a C8 temari and then stitched some temari from a Japanese book and even designed her own. This is one of those techniques that works up so quickly and has a big impact. Once you start, it's hard to stop!

Carolina's flax leaf temari - WOW!

Online temari class DVDs

Did you miss the class? I offer online temari classes and repeat them every few years. If you can't wait for the next class and would like to purchase a DVD that includes the pattern and videos, please have a look at your options below. I'm just an email away so if you need help while working through the class material, just let me know. Grandmother Star is ready now.

Temari Class DVDs

Temari Class DVDs

Temari class on Saturday, July 21

It's time to sign up and prepare for Asanoha! Flax or hemp leaf stitching. I've got lots of different patterns for you to try and photos galore. I hope you can join me for temari class. Find out more by clicking on this link.

Temari class with Barb on Saturday, July 21