Temari 101 Graduates

Thursday night saw the end of the recent round of Temari 101 classes. Four more shiny new addicts have joined the ranks. I particularly enjoy sharing the craft of temari and watching how each group develops from their first class, when everyone seems so unsure and perplexed over the possibilities, through the second class, when I can hear all the little penny's dropping and then into the third class when everyone settles into their stitching groove. The one thing that never amazes me is how quickly the addiction to temari sets in.

As part of the class we examine the various resources available for temari in Perth. I always show some books and give hints about where to purchase the most suitable materials and the price range to expect to pay. It is important for those of us that have found our own way through the myriad of possibilities to share what works for temari and what wont. I think half the frustration of being new at temari is not knowing what to use - or worse not being able to find what is recommended. For most items Spotlight is you first point of call - Yarn, Cotton Perle#5, foam balls, pins etc. Textile Traders often has a bargain on sewing thread. For other items such as metallic marking threads and cotton perle #8 it's off to the needlecraft specialty stores which can be a bit hit and miss (I do believe it supporting your local needlework store) but this often requires special orders. Other things such as suitable needles, good quality fine metallic thread, non-cotton threads, rice hull and books - well I have spent hours (read weeks or months) trolling the www to find good suppliers who can sell these directly to me. This saves me a lot of bother and is also helpful to our stitching circle as I can help them get the items they need.

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know which books I recommend and so it is not at all surprising to note that every student in the recent class (actually every student from every class) ends up buying the same book first. Can you guess which one? If you guessed the book by Barb Suess you would be right. I believe (and most other temari makers I know will say the same thing) that if you work through each project in order you will quickly become proficient at making temari.