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Saturday 31 July 2010

ITAD Competition Closed

The ITAD competition drew to a close overnight.  I am so pleased with all the entries. Thank you all who entered a temari or voted for one.

Head over to the ITAD site for more information. Also check out the Flickr  site to see all the temari photos.

I am tweaking the logo this week and should have it ready in the next few days.

Now time to plan your activities for October 22. What are you planning?

Thursday 22 July 2010

Latest C10

Here is the last C10 I've made. The original was in all pinks but I wanted to try something a bit different... I think the original ball was more effective because it made the relief pattern of the 5 petal flower stand out more. Maybe I made the dark triangles too large or the ball was too small. The instructions also said to make tiny triangle in the marking thread on top of the triangle stacks... I thought 'Ick no way!' so I stitched it with frosty nordic gold #4.

Anyway it is still nice, I will try this one again sometime.

We finally had a sunny day today so I took my light box outside and let nature supply the lighting. The neighbours thought I was crackers because I took the photos on the driveway with my box on a trestle table and my tripod set up. Because it was late afternoon the light wasn't as strong and was coming from over my shoulder so I kept setting the 2second timer and ducking to the side. I took about 50 photos so I imagine any onlookers would have had trouble working out what was going on.

Look what I found

I have been digging through my box of temari looking for examples of C8's that I have made. I came across these ones that I haven't shared before.

This one was a little sad attempt at an interlocking band design. I think it was from TK or from Debi's notebook. Either way it didn't work out so I added the flower design as pictured and on the other end I did a strange looking herringbone flower. I didn't immortalise it in picture. I tried again on the next ball. It didn't turn out right again... maybe the woven sections were done too close to the 6 part triangle lines so the shapes didn't quite turn out as they should have.


Oh well I still like it... I was also experimenting with variegated thread... did you notice? I always wonder when it is right or wrong to use a variegated thread. These look ok.


I really like this one. It is from TK. I had this base ball wrapped in Yellow for ages! I could never figure out what to use it for. Inspiration! this design said 'yep it might just work'.


This is one I have been working on this week. Strangely enough a similar ball came up in a question this week on TC. Isn't it strange that out of all the temari makers, in all the world two people should be working the same (or at least very similar) ball at the same time.

Sunday 18 July 2010

Furry Cousin comes to stay!

Does that title sound like a possible title for an Enid Blyton book??

My Brother and SIL have taken their kids to Japan to visit with relatives. We are minding Ninja, the furry cousin. Interestingly among the human cousins there are 2 boys and 1 girl... the furry cousins are in the same ratio. Our dogs (Chilli and Shadow) are the grumpy, old variety (about 15 years old), Ninja is about 6 months old (maybe a little less) so our dogs can't quite understand all the fuss.

Yesterday was our first rain free over 20C day for weeks. So my son and I took the 3 dogs for a walk. What a calamity!!! Our two dogs needed to keep stopping for a rest and walked so slowly (especially shadow who has bad hips) and our furry cousin wanted to run and jump around and play... so did my son. But after I showed the young ones the basics of walking at heel everything went more smoothly.

Today we are baking cookies.  I've got a long list of chores too. If I manage it all quickly enough I will still get some stitching done.

Monday 12 July 2010

What's stitching this week.

I've been minding my Step Nana this week while my Mum and Step Dad have some well earned R&R. Seeing as she is 92 I have had a fairly quiet week, so between making cups of tea etc I have had plenty of time to stitch. If only the lighting here was better!!! Every light fitting has at least 4 globes but they don't cast as much light as I'd like... of course at home I spend most of my stitching time under a bright work lamp. The only decent lighting is in the entry hall which has the most beautiful light shade... but I need to wear SPF30 to sit underneath it. Here is a picture of it.


This week I have finished a JD Sakura design that I began a few weeks ago. You might remember the series I was doing with colour experiments. So here it is all in muted tones of beige and tan with a brown obi.

I have also had a go at one of the yubinuki featured on Debi's Temari Train Blog. It was a little gappy in one spot but still turned out nicely. I think the main problem (besides my poor measuring) is that I tried to make it from memory of the instructions... instead of from the instructions. I got there in the end, and this was one of those times when blind faith is required as the pattern doesn't really emerge until you're almost done stitching. I love how it turned out and will probably try it again but the thimble Debi made this week is calling to me. It is so beautiful.


I have also been working on another pattern from Debi's Notebook for the birthday challenge set up by Kristy in QLD over at the TC group. It is a really cool pattern... here is my version.


This last pic is a ball I finished a while ago but forgot to add to the blog. Can you tell it has been cold here? All reds and oranges on this ball trying to keep warm.
When I get home I need to go through all my boxes of temari and photos and look for my C8 and C10 balls. I hope I can find some, I do try to regularly gift my craft items away. Our home is a single level house with no basement and no attic (like the majority of homes in Perth)... therefore no huge amounts of storage. This means the more I want to create the more I need to gift away.

Post note:  While I was away my dear husband took it upon himself to clean up our office and my craft room. Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh no!!!!!  The questions I had to answer about all those supplies!!! Such as why I had 75+ 3inch Styrofoam balls, 20meters (at least) of assorted fabric and 8kg of soap. Hope he didn't find the 15 balls of wool and the 100's of buttons I have in one of the crates... He probably did but I guess he gracefully let it slide.

Sunday 11 July 2010

ITAD Logo Competition Update.

It didn't take long but the International Temari Appreciation Day name has somehow been morphed (due to my laziness) to ITAD. With all the emails, posts here and over there I was wondering just when RSI would set in, so in the interests of preserving my time and wrists I have shortened the name to an acronym.  Unfortunately it looks like something from the apple computer company, but I assure you that if you read ITAD in one of my posts it will relate to International Temari Appreciation Day. (I think an iTad might be an apple nanosecond or a tiny apple... and definitely be something cool my son would bug me for.)

So far I have been told that several people are just beginning to stitch their entries for the logo competition and if you visit the Flickr group you will find several entries have already been submitted there. I wonder how many different versions we will see of the S16 ball? The entries so far are really lovely. Keep up the good work ladies and gentlemen.

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Beginning my JTA Apprenticeship

I am happy to sing it from the roof tops... I am a temari addict.

I love everything about making temari. I enjoy gathering the materials to fill the base from all the recyclable items I have at hand. I revel in the calm that comes from the rhythmic action of wrapping the ball in yarn, slowly but surely covering the core material until only I know what is inside. I love to see the ribbon effect of power wrapping over the yarn. I am always in awe as I see the single thread wrap layers going over the ball and marvel at how, by some sort of magic, the ball suddenly becomes a smooth sphere. I like finding the poles and all the other marking points around the ball. I particularly like looking over my stitching thread boxes, full of many colours choices, and trying to find a palette of complementary (or contrasting) colours. I love the search for the meaning in all the lovely patterns in my library of temari books. Most of all I love the stitching, especially when many patterns require me to keep faith that although what I am stitching looks remarkably different to the model as I stitch further I begin to see the designs emerge. I find the anticipation of the pattern appearing really exciting. 

It is because of all this that I decided last year to begin a temari apprenticeship. Now I'm not going to say that this is a necessary course of action for everyone.  People (and the temari they make) who choose this path are in no way superior to those that choose not to. There are a great many makers of the most beautiful temari that have never considered joining the Japanese Temari Association (JTA) or studying for the various levels. I just really wanted to connect my own temari journey to the country where the art form came from and becoming a  member seemed the best way for me to do this.

Although it's still quite a mystery, we in the west are learning more about the process every year. There is a lot of information to be found at TemariKai. Last year I decided to begin my study for the first of four levels. There was a number of people that also began this journey last year too. We all found out last weekend that we had passed. Phew! A big sigh of relief for all of us. Many people (who are braver souls than me) decided to apply for level one and two together. I hope to study for level two later this year.

Thanks to my own study group (Laura, Rosemary, Jane, Michelle, and Pam), our Shihan Barb Suess and to Ai Mizuta our wonderful JTA contact who is the lady that makes it possible for all of us living outside of Japan to become members of the JTA and undertake these studies. Congratulations to everyone that undertook JTA study this year.

You should all be pleased and proud of your achievements.

Sunday 4 July 2010

Out and about

I love a sleep in, but there was no time for one this morning as we had promised my niece we'd see her swimming class at 8:30am on the other side of town. It was freezing (ok 3C) when we left the house but a promise is a promise and she is way too cute to let down. The kids all had a swim until about 10am... Thank goodness for heated pool water, only after a bribe of a post-shower lollipop did they finally get out.
Afterwards we all jumped back in the car for a day out to Mundaring Weir.

This is one of the typical bush tracks leading to a bbq campsite in the park. See the swing arm with the hook for the billy pot and the flat plate for cooking. These pics are from a google search, sorry I forgot the actual links.

We found a little campsite with a concrete barbeque pit, the type with a movable iron plate and billy tea can hook, and set about gathering kindling and assorted  dead wood for a little fire. Once Wesley (my 8 yo) lit his first ever fire in the pit we got onto cooking some sausages and onions for our no fuss impromptu hot dog barbie. (No way we could light a fire like this in the summer.) We were all starving... something to to with the cool weather and fresh air (mind you the 2 hours of swimming might have helped too). When there were just coals left the kids toasted marshmallows on sticks. We stayed until the coals were cold and then packed up and came home. What a great family day out. Next time we'll plan the day and take billy tea* and damper**.












Here is a pic of the weir. Much of our city's drinking water comes from here. Pic from WA watercorp website.

No stitching this weekend, but hopefully there will be lots this week as I'm minding my 92yo Step Nana for a few days... I'm pretty sure she wont want to go out rollerblading....


* Billy tea is just tea cooked on a fire pit in a big lidded can with a hook. It is usually suspended over the fire by some green wood sticks or (if your fancy) an iron A frame set with a pole between.
** Damper is an old stockman's/ bushman's bread cooked in the coals of a fire. See the link for a recipe and picture. If you want to fancy it up you can with herbs or cheese etc... but then if you want to be fancy why head into the Aussie bushland? LOL

PS Happy 4th of July to all my American readers. Hot it's not too hot/dry for fireworks.  Set off a cracker or two for me... they are illegal here!

Thursday 1 July 2010

Share you thimbles July 2010 from MaMercerie

Chloe Patricia announced the winner of the June Share Your Thimbles draw yesterday. I am on a lucky streak because I got drawn again this month. Wow! I have never been so lucky in my whole life.

This month Chloe Patricia is offering the thimble featured below to the lucky winner. It doesn't matter if you are a new or experienced thimble maker. All you need to do is make a thimble, load the photo and enter the draw by replying to the message in Flickr.

Here is the link to Chloe Patricia's blog where she offers detailed tutorials and advice about thimble making. You will also find all the information you need to join in on the draw.

Image from MaMercerie

I have lots of links to various thimble resources throughout this blog. Just click on Yubinuki (ThimbleRing) on the labels at the bottom of this page.

If I can make these thimbles you can too.

Logo Design Competition 2010 for International Temari Appreciation Day

Yay! I'm so excited to announce a competition open to all Temari makers to stitch a ball which will be used in the International Temari Appreciation Day logo for 2010/2011.
For all the details head over to the blog... here's the link

http://international-temari-appreciation.blogspot.com/2010/07/logo-design-competition-2010.html

I've included a sample ball at the blog to get your creative juices flowing.


This competition is the outcome of one of the wonderful suggestions I received when I asked for ways to celebrate the day. Keep those suggestions coming! Thanks to everyone who has contacted me so far.