Temari is a folk art form that originated in China several centuries ago, and was later taken to Japan by Buddhist monks.Temari, which means 'hand ball' in Japanese, began as a simple needlework craft making an embroidered toy thread ball for children to play. Today the lovely thread-wrapped balls are given as tokens of good luck, the brilliant colors and threads symbolic of wishing the recipient a brilliant and happy life.
In the beginning, the balls were made from the remnants of old kimonos. Pieces of silk fabric were rolled up to form a ball, and then wrapped with strips of fabric. As time passed, traditional Temari balls became an art, with the functional stitching becoming more decorative and detailed, until the balls displayed very intricate embroidery. With the introduction of rubber to Japan, the balls went from play toys to art objects, and were very popular amongst the Japanese upper class and aristocracy, and noble women competed in creating increasingly beautiful and intricate objects.At times they added "noisemakers" to the inside to delight the ear. They incorporated designs from Japanese crafts as well as other Asian embroidery designs, like the chrysanthemum, and they copied the colors of nature around them.
A stitched Temari ball can be displayed on a stand and enjoyed as a striking embroidered puzzle.Temari opens up a whole new dimension for artists and crafters. Stitches can go in any direction because of the random wrapped thread surface of the ball. They are not limited to up and down, side to side and diagonally as with traditional stitchery. It is a craft of recycling - bits of yarn and thread from other projects can be used to create your own balls. Other supplies needed include a darner needle, a bit of soft yarn, some thread for wrapping, and craft thread or perle cotton embroidery thread for stitching the design.
Start exploring Temari with these free instructions. Have a look at this book by Barbara Suess which includes directions for making and embroidering temari with the kiku design, trefoil, spindle stitch, squares, triangles, and many combinations of these stitches.
Source: Kiku Designs. Special thanks to Barb at Japanese Temari (www.japanesetemari.com).
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