Temari are Japanese ornaments made by embroidering designs over a ball wrapped in thread. Originally these were made as toys for young girls, but now it is a traditional Japanese art.
Making temari is a fun craft, and can be learned easily with a good book. I recommend
this one. You will see many of my temari pictured below were learned from this book.
Colors used can be as playful as you like. Red, White, and Blue is a fun theme, I've seen collections of many temari in these colors photographed together.
This pattern is one of the easiest to make. It is a chrysanthemum, called "Kiku" in Japanese.
This Kiku temari uses colors inspired by Seattle Seahawks football team.
This one I used the colors used in a kimono I had seen.
This is a large temari. Before wrapping in thread, I cut it in half and inserted a bell so that the temari rings when shaken.
An all pink temari made for Breast Cancer Awareness.
An egg shape is not traditional, but temari technique is excellent for making Easter decorations.
A different colored flower is used on each side.
A red, white, and blue kiku. This is one of the first I've made.
This is a variation of the kiku pattern. It reminds me of a yabane (arrow) pattern used in old kimono.
This is the first one I made, a plum tree. Since this was made in the "beginner's course" of the Zokei Bonsai class, the flowers and buds are store-bought. The focus was learning to create an attractive tree trunk and branches. Near the base is a piece of drift wood that was incorporated into the trunk.
This is the second one I made, an Iris. The focus was learning silk flower making, so this is an "Ikebana" type arrangement. The flowers are layered sheer Japanese silk, and the petal textures were created by wringing the silk between gauze rags in a particular way.
This is an azalea. The flowers and leaves are all silk, and their textures were created using a special type of stick-shaped iron that looks like a soldering gun.
A small arrangement of African violets. The leaves are silk and formed the same way are the iris petals, the violets are satin and were formed with the stick-like iron with a rounded tip to form the cup-shaped petals.
A bonsai I made for New Years: Shochikubai. Shochikubai is a combination used to decorate during the New Year as a symbol of happiness, using pine, bamboo, and plum. The arrangement is accented by a dry riverbed of white pebbles. The pine tree is elevated on a cool rock, and the pine tree's roots are snaking down the rock.
These are some camellia I made that were left over from a camellia tree I did. Unfortunately that tree is still in my instructor's possession, so I do not have pictures of it.
