Temari Balls - Art & Happiness Rolled into One

Every year, every woman in my family is blessed to receive one of these little works of art from my mother. Part Chinese, part Japanese tradition, the sentiment behind them only adds to their beauty.

Temari balls are a folk art form that originated in China and were introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. The balls were originally made by mothers and grandmothers for the children to play with (they were used in kickball and handball games similar to the hackeysack games played around the world today). Historically they were constructed from the remnants of old kimonos. Pieces of silk fabric would be wadded up to form a ball, then the wad wrapped with strips of fabric. The silk threads would have been removed and saved and, used to first wind around the ball, then to stitch the ball firmly together (it is said that the balls were wrapped and stitched so tightly that they actually did bounce). As time moved on traditional Temari balls became an art, with the functional stitching more and more decorative and detailed, until the balls displayed very intricate embroidery. The balls transcended from play toys into art objects (although loving moms will still make them for their children) with the introduction of rubber to Japan.

Temari balls became an art and craft of the Japanese upper class and aristocracy and noble women competed in creating more and more beautiful and intricate objects. They now represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing deep friendship and loyalty. It is traditional for a mother to make a ball for her daughter as a New Year's gift. They are also defined as Hime-temari (silk balls), made to bring good fortune to the person who keeps them, and are made by hand wrapping silk threads of different colors. These crafts, filled with both the craftsman's gentle spirit and techniques, are believed to bestow happiness. The brilliant color and threads used also are symbolic of wishing the recipient a brilliant (happy) life. (From the Japan Temari Association.)

These photos in this blog are of the temari balls my mother made for me. Originally, I used them as Christmas ornaments, but I found, as the holidays ended, I couldn’t just pack them up and put them away. Since then, I’ve kept them out year round, as a joyful reminder.

How They’re Made

The patterns are geometric and usually symmetrical, with many of the design elements being based upon nature. In appearance, most are very reminiscent of a kaleidoscope's patterns. Modern day creations may use a preformed ball base (the "mari") - generally a styrofoam ball or large wooden bead - which is then wrapped with a layer of yarn and then a layer of regular weight sewing thread (it requires at least three hundred yards for a three inch ball) - both of which must be placed smoothly to insure roundness of the ball. Strict traditional Temari artists will still create their own mari base from discarded fabric or other materials that can be wadded into the shape of a sphere. Sometimes a layer of batting is applied prior to the yarn wrap in order to smooth and round the ball form. The ball is then divided with relational geometry using a thin paper strip - no defined measuring is generally used. The divisions are indicated with pins and then marking threads are placed. If the marking threads are incorporated into the design they will often be done in gold or silver - other designs require the marking threads to be the same color as the base thread wrap so as to blend into the background.

After the ball is prepared and marked the designs are embroidered with a variety of threads. The most common type used today is pearl cotton, although finer and specialty silk, metallic and rayon embroidery threads or embroidery ribbons assist in producing even more beautiful outcomes. The designs are accomplished by either stitching the patterns (there are very few basic, simple stitches) or by designated wrapping. A combination of the two may also be used. There are no defined outcomes - Temaris are limited only by the imagination of the crafter. It was traditional for the balls made for children as toys to have some rice in their center so as to have them rattle. Modern balls may have a jingle bell or rattle in their centers for good luck.

There are some wonderful books on making Temari balls. These are a few of my favorites.

The Temari Book by Anna Diamond
http://www.amazon.com/Temari-Book-Techniques-Patterns-Japanese/dp/1579902251/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228606298&sr=1-4

Temari, A Traditional Japanese Embroidery Technique by Margaret Ludlow http://www.amazon.com/Temari-Traditional-Japanese-Embroidery-Technique/dp/1861080808/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228606298&sr=1-5

Maybe I should wear a crash helmet, or “Don’t do that, you’ll poke an eye out!”

You wouldn’t think jewelry making was dangerous. At least not the kind I’ve been making lately. Since my "shop" is now confined to my dining room table, it’s not like I can whip out the acetylene torch and start blasting away or anything. I’ll be doing some silver work later on, once my shop is up and running. (Yes, I do have fire insurance.) But for now, I’ll stick to beading and wire wrapping, that is, until I end up in the emergency room.

Beading isn’t the problem. It isn’t inherently hazardous. Unless you’re like me and you make a habit of dropping nearly complete necklaces on the floor scattering hundreds of beads hither and yon, and then you step on them and go flying, throwing your back out. But I digress. It’s the wire wrapping that’s killing me.

I’ve started some new projects, which basically involve wrapping small gemstones with sterling silver wire, then attaching them to something, a necklace, a bracelet, etc.

Like this:

Or this:


So here I am, it’s like 2:00 in the morning (my bewitching hour) grasping at itty bitty gemmy objects, sharp wire and very pointy pliers, several pairs of pliers to be exact, all held in fingers that went numb hours before, and I’m making that last graceful loop of pretty when Bam!, the pliers slip off the wire and make a beeline for my face, leaving me with a not so pretty gauge in my left cheek.

I’m heading to the bathroom to blot when the piece slides to the floor, taking the pliers and my bead board with it. This is where the crash comes in.

You know all those leftover beads from projects that you promised yourself you’d put away? You promised, over and over again, but you never got around to it and they ended up like so many orphans rolling around on your beadboard? Well let’s just say there were tons of them, absolutely tons of them. The noise was deafening. My two dogs came running, barking their investigation, and stopped, dead in their tracks, and cocked their heads, amused at all the rolling things. My significant other, jolted awake from blissfull sleep, was not so amused. Trust me.

I should probably pack it in at this point, but I’m on a tear. I have constructed and deconstructed this bracelet three times already, each time less happy with the results than before. I end up putting it together again, this time, like I had originally envisioned. It’s after 3:00 a.m. by now, and talk radio has gone all infomercial on me. Do I really need Super Mega Vitamins? A Colonic Cleansing? The radio assures me I most certainly do, but I can't call and order them now, I’m on a mission, pliers in hand, bandage intact. I’m being careful with the pliers now. You never know when they might leap up and bite you!

Unfortunately, I was so busy watching those blasted pliers, I never even saw the wire that just about took my eye out. I pulled a little too hard on a loop and my hand went flying, wire and bracelet in tow. Well, I got a good knock to the noggin, and a nice cut just below the eyebrow. Inspiration and injury. It's all in a night's work.

This is the culprit. I hope it was worth it. Just in case, I’m asking for goggles for Christmas.

Blue Skies? Get Pink!

The skies are blue, the birds are chirping their little hearts out, and I'm feeling positively Springy! All of my new creations are coming up pink!

Pink Rose Lampwork Glass Bracelet and Earrings

Cherry Quartz Briolette Dangle Earrings

Ruby Quartz Good Luck Necklace and Earrings

Jade is in Bloom!

I just couldn't resist sharing my newest piece! It's pretty carved Jade flowers, peachy-orange Adventurine, lemony yellow jade drops and Sterling Silver! It's time to bloom!



Here's a link to it in my shop: Jade Flowers

What is a blog anyway?

I confess, I’ve read tons and tons of blogs but still have no idea. It just seems like random randomness to me. That, in and of itself, is a wonderful thing, but like ipods and cell phones, it’s turned into something everyone MUST HAVE, which, admittedly, makes me resist having one. I’m contrary like that.

I suppose blogs have gone beyond fad status. I waited it out awhile, to see if they would go away, thoughts and ideas just vanishing into the virtual ether, but it seems that they are here to stay, and if everyone else it to be believed, blogs are the key to success on the internet. Go figure. Or shall I say, we’ll see. The jury is still out for me.

So I am finally adding my own brand of randomness to the mix. I don’t have any illusions that this will be read, or enjoyed, or, dare I say it, circulated anywhere, but since it involves some writing, which I dabble in, along with my craft, I’ll give it a go. It can’t hurt, right?

I started making jewelry again after a long hiatus, of which ceramics took up a large part. But one can only have so many pots lying around, so I had to stop. A girl can never have too much jewelry though! I really am loving having a creative outlet in my life. A friend of mine recommended I check out etsy. I had never even heard of it. It has proven to be a wonderful, welcoming community of artists and craftspeople. I hope to feature other etsy artists on this blog in the future.

Untill then, count me in as one of the counted.