Bin Temari???

This is a picture I came across in an article about temari whilst cruising the web this week. Click the link to see more about Bin Temari. They are just beautiful... can you work out how they do it?? There is an interview here which will come up in translated English but if you read Japanese it might make more sense if you return it to Japanese.

Also a fellow Aussie temari maker, Rod from Sydney, has a great blog you could look at in which he shows Japanese textiles he produces including Kumihimo. Rod's blog is really informative and there is the most amazing braided poem in one of his posts. It took my breath away.

Review of New Temari Book and Recommendations

I am always curious about books on Temari and today I received my latest installment.
The book pictured below. I would not recommend this book too highly as it only has 10 patterns which are then varied in size, colour etc. It seems to have been written by some chaps that have read several books about temari but aren't actually temari artists themselves. In addition some of the terms used are not standard 'temari' language and in my honest opinion I would rather have not spent the money on it.

This may seem a little harsh but in terms of value for money every other temari book I own was better. In defence of this book it did show scope for practical applications for putting the temari to use... but it also included a good deal of bead work on the projects... I guess this is where the contemporary part of the title fits in. Avoid the above book but please try these books written by the authors listed below as they are far more inspiring.

Barb Suess, Diana Vandervoort, and Mary Wood (click the links here to go to their websites to purchase books)

In particular Barb's book is the easiest to learn from as it is written in the most easy to comprehend manner and is accompanied by excellent diagrams. Diana's books (she has written several) have a fairly broad scope and are loaded with directions. Mary's book shows techniques rather than exact patterns - you learn the technique and use your imagination to make your own patterns so whilst this is informative I wouldn't expect most people to learn from scratch with this one.

If I had to choose one and only one it would be Barb's book! She holds your hand through every design step and guides you along with tips from start to finish.

I have no commercial agreement with any author listed here in this post and these are my own opinions based on my experience with the books mentioned. I do own copies of all the books reviewed.

I own almost every book published in English (on Temari that is) and soon I will start collecting Japanese ones (please Finance Gods let the AUD rise against the Yen!!!!) I already have a list as long as my arm and just have to wait for the right time to buy....

Temari Class

Our new class is almost here.... it begins on June 7th and we called it Temari 101. The very basics of this craft will be taught over 3 weeks (approx six hours in total).

I have put together a starter kit for students attending with all kinds of goodies (some of which can prove challenging to find in Perth). The emails have been flying, instructions printed and mud maps have been made. We will explore contruction of the mari and learn 4 designs. I hope to post pictures later.

If you live in Perth and are interested in attending a future class email me for details.

Craft Fair

This week Miho, Suzanne, Naoko and I went to the craft and quilt fair here in Perth. It is amazing to see all the beautiful craft things on show to buy. The quilt display was stunning and there was bling a plenty in the bead section. The stalls had all manner of interesting things to buy from buttons and ribbons to ironing stations and long arm sewing machines.

It made me think how wonderful the craft of temari is. You don't need an iron or a machine, there are no special adhesives or frames or a ton of space to make temari. All you need is a needle, coloured thread, pins, something to make a ball (and you can even use dryer lint for that) and a little imagination. All the bits can fit into the tiniest bag which you can take anywhere.

Better yet temari is a fantastic way to meet new people. There are groups in Yahoo you can join and make contacts around the world. You can make temari at the park while the kids play, on the train or even at the Doctor's office and you'll find people can't resist asking "What you are doing?" You find that what starts with temari can end with a new friend.

I couldn't imagine taking my quilting or scrapbooking out with me, so thank goodness for temari. I wonder if we might showcase temari at the craft fair someday in the future.....

New Temari Completed

I finally found a cute bowl to display assorted temari. It is on my coffee table and really brightens up the room. I plan to make various themes of temari to swap them through the year.

The red and white Temari are inspired by a photo from Glenna Kipp, a fellow member of temari challenge. My version is a little different to the original but I just couldn't resist stitching this pattern for the Kiku. I love to work out patterns from a photo, it often requires many rip outs but there is real satisfaction in getting to the goal.

The cerise, black and white set of three were made for my Mum's birthday. She also makes temari, and I gave them to her as pictured above. She decided that, although my plan was for her to complete the largest ball, I should complete it. So the picture below shows the set finished. It was an exercise in doubles, each ball has twice the volume and divisions as the smaller size. So the small ball is 3/4C rice hull and six divisions, medium is 1 &1/2C and 12 divisions and large is 3C and 24 divisions. The stitching itself is exactly the same on each ball, but you can see how different each ball turns out.

The "stitching" on the largest ball was given for Mother's Day instead of the usual bunch of flowers. I'm amused by the fact that Kiku is Japanese for Chrysanthemum which just happens to be the type of flower grown and traditionally given in Australia for Mother's Day.