Temari toys

I am in love with the Japanese art of Temari! I just can't get enough of it!

I found a book at the library about Temari and since I love embroidery on a flat surface, I thought it'd be a fun challenge on a spherical surface. I was so right. It is a bit of a challenge, but once you have an understanding of how the needle positions work, it's so much fun! And even better yet - it's a great way to use up scraps! Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like waste. So all those bags of fabric scraps are now going into these lovely Temari balls! And anytime I find bits of yarn at the thrift shops I grab that up too. The yarn gets wrapped around the cloth to form the ball. Then the final layer is thread. Once the ball is covered, I mark the pattern points and get going!

These 2 are full size - about 10.5" circumfrence. In the back of the book the author states that Temari can be made on any scale. So I gave it a shot and made some mini-Temari as ornaments for the christmas tree.

They turned out really cute. They came out around 4" circ. I made them as a set to give as a gift. That's why they're not on my tree. I'll make some more later for me!  My next attempt will be even smaller! I want to see if I can make a set of earrings!

Yes. I'm just a little bit obsessed.