Teaser

I won't be able to do a full step-by-step of this year's ornaments before Christmas, so here is a teaser until I can!

They're very sparkly!

In the last minute rush before Christmas, I hope everyone has a chance to pause, take a deep breath and appreciate the many blessings of our lives.

Merry Christmas!

A blog to check out

My daughter introduces me to the most amazing blogs!

Check out this amazing evening jacket.




From the blog OMG that dress!  at this post, it's at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Incredible!

Temari - finishing the 16 point star

Now that the initial 8 pointed star is worked, it's time to start the overlapping star, then add more colours.



For the overlapping star, I chose to use white and a pale beige.  The needle is brought up next to one of the pins in the inner ring, to the left of the guideline, then brought down to the next guideline's pin in the outer ring.



Continue working around the mari, removing the pins as you go.



After working 1 round, finish off the thread.  Repeat on the other side of the mari.



Go back to the first, elongated star and add a round in the next colour; in this case a darker blue.  After one round, finish off the thread and repeat on the other side.



Work a second round of colour in the shorter overlapping star.



Continue working the pattern by adding another round of floss in the light blue to the elongated star, then another round in white in the overlapping star.  Complete these rounds on both hemispheres.



Switch to the metallic thread (3 strands on the needle) and work around all 16 points in both hemispheres to finish the temari.



Here's a look at the point overlapping at the equator.



Another view of the finished temari.

This one got a hanger as well.  I chose to braid lengths of the dark blue, white and cold threads to make a cord to tie into a loop.



The loop got sewn in place at the equator, between a pair of points.



With the knotted end trimmed and fringed.



The two finished temari.

The interesting thing about temari is that it doesn't take much to get completely different looks.  These two patterns are basically the same thing; a pair of overlapping stars.  Changes in colour and the location of the inner and outer points can change the finished result dramatically, even though they are essentially worked the same way.

I hope these photos will be useful for you to make your own temari.  Later on, I will be doing versions with more centres. 

Temari - starting the 16 point star

So our first temari, with 8 divisions and two centres, is now done.  Time to move on to the 16 division mari.

For this one, I decided to change up the two overlapping stars so that, instead of one 16 point star, there are two distinct 8 point stars.  I also decided to extend the points beyond the equator on one of them, which means there will be no obi.  I chose two colours per star, plus the metallic thread outline.

The first step was to mark out one of the 8 point stars.   



Here you can see me marking the pins for the South hemisphere, having already done the North.  I marked my strip of paper at 1 1/2 inches and 2 1/4 inches.  The distances are marked on alternating lines, as indicated by the arrows.  This pins are placed in the OPPOSITE positions from the North side.  The guidelines where you see the green outer pins in the photo had inner pins on the North side, while the yellow inner pins in the photo above are on lines with outer pins on the North side.  This is important, since the points of one star on the North side will extend into the South side of the equator and vice versa.



Here's what the fully pinned hedgehog looks like from the North pin.



For the first 8 point star, I chose two blues.  The stitching is started the same as usual, bringing the needle up as close to the North pin as possible, and to the left of a guideline.  Make sure that the needle is brought up on a guideline that has an outer ring of pins alongside it.



From there I worked the point below the pin marking the next guideline at the equator, working the needle from right to left as usual, in the South side of the equator.  Note the pin marking the outer ring in the South hemisphere is a short distance away.



Here's what the first couple of points looks like.  The equator pins can be removed once the points are stitched.



Continue working the points around the mari.



After one round, finish off the thread by burying it in the padding.

 


Repeat on the South side of the mari.



When done, you will have your two elongated stars with their points slightly overlapping the equator's guideline position.

In the next post, we'll work the overlapping star in contrasting colours.

Temari - making the obi

Preparing the core
Measuring for guidelines
Placing the guidelines
Starting and 8 point star (kiku)
Finishing the 8 point star (kiku)



Now that we are done working two kiku at the poles of your temari, it's time to turn our attention to the equator.  This is where the obi - named for the wide sash worn with kimonos - will be worked.



For this, I chose to start with the pale green instead of the yellow, as I had with the kiku.  As previously, I worked with all 6 strands of floss.  To start, I anchored the floss without tying a knot, first by drawing the end into the padding (you can just barely see the pale green showing through the sewing thread under the needle), then making a small back stitch into the end so that there would be no chance of it pulling through by accident.  I also worked close to the metallic guideline, so that it will be hidden by the strands.

Draw your needle up on the left and close to any longitudinal guideline, above the equator guideline.



Wrap the strand to the right, closely following alongside the metallic guideline.



Maintaining the tension with your thumb, slip the strand of floss on the right of the guideline and bring it up again below the equator guideline, to the left of the longitudinal guideline.  Draw the thread through and pull it snug.



Wrap the strand around the equator again, closely aligned under the metallic strand.  Again maintaining tension, finish the strand by splitting the floss to the right of the longitudinal guideline.  Draw your needle out some distance away to bury the end in the padding.  Trim the excess thread closely.



Repeat with the remaining colours, starting all the colours in the same location (which you can see on the left of the above photo) and working your way outwards.

The obi now needs to be anchored.



Switching to the metallic thread with three strands on the needle, this time tie a knot to anchor your thread.  Insert the needle some distance from your star, slightly under the previous strands so that it will be hidden after the knot is trimmed.  As with the embroidery floss, bring your needle up to the left of the longitudinal guideline, above the obi.




Rotating the temari slightly clockwise, work a stitch from right to left around the next longitudinal guideline, below the obi.



Continue rotating clockwise, alternating stitches at the guidelines above and below the obi.



On reaching the beginning, insert the needle to the right of the beginning guideline, working under the strands, exiting below the obi and to the left of the guideline.



Continue working stitches around the guidelines to form a crossed pattern (note that I've trimmed the knot away by this point).  After working completely around the equator, pass the needle through the padding to anchor the end.  Trim excess thread.



Here is the finished obi.

At this point, the temari is finished! 

These temari, however, were being made to hang on a Christmas tree, so there's still one more step.  Making and attaching a hanger, coming up next!

Temari - finishing the 8 point star

Preparing the core
Measuring for guidelines
Placing the guidelines
Starting and 8 point star (kiku)

Alrighty. then!  At this point, we've got the first colour in the 8 pointed kiku laid down.  Time to add the next colour.  I chose to use 3 colours of embroidery floss for this, but feel free to change it up.



Thread your second colour, tie a knot at the end, and pass it through the padding a couple of times to anchor it.  Not that I've done this in areas that will be covered by stitching, so that any stray threads peaking through the sewing thread is covered.

Remember that to make an 8 point star, you have actually stitched 2 overlapping 4 point stars.  When bringing up the new colour, you can start at any inner point that is part of the first, or underlying, 4 point star.  If you look closely at the photo, you can see that the yellow strands at the point I'm bringing the needle up at run under the last round of threads.

Bring the needle with the new colour up just below the last round of stitches.  The strands are fairly close together, which makes it a bit challenging to bring it up without catching it on other strands.  This is where you might find yourself being downright brutal with pushing strands out of the way.

Oh, and remember that thimble recommendation?  It's not necessarily, but it's a really good idea.  Having the back and of a needle pushed into your finger is not very fun.  It bleeds like the dickens, and getting blood out of the strands of floss is not easy.

I'm just saying.

*ahem*



Continue stitching in the same pattern as before, bringing the thread down and rotating slightly clockwise to the next point, placing your stitch slightly below the previous strands, then back up again to the next point near the North pin. Though it seems like you will quickly run out of space in the centre, each layer of strands pulls the previous strands in slightly, making more space.



Continue working around the overlapping stars for two rounds, in the same manner the yellow was worked.   Finish your thread by passing it through the padding a couple of times, snipping away the knot and excess thread when done.  Repeat on the South hemisphere.



Join with your third colour, again taking care to start at an inner point of the underlying 4 point star.



Continue working around the points as with the other colours.



When done, repeat the process on the South hemisphere.

For the next round, take up your contrasting metallic thread.  As with the guidelines, I worked in silver with 3 strands on the needle.



Start the metallic thread in the same manner as the embroidery floss, starting from an inner point of an underlying 4 point star.



Work around the points as with the embroidery floss.



Working with metallic thread is very different than with the cotton floss.  The strands don't always pull through as evenly, and you might find yourself dealing with what you see here fairly frequently.  To fix it,  you'll need to gently pull the loose strands through one at a time until they are all equally snug, then run your fingers down the strands to even them out for the entire length.  Also, adjust your needle position on the strands frequently to prevent breakage at the eye.



Oh, and... cat.

I think she was cold, since she kept insisting on placing herself directly under my lamp while I worked.



Do one round of metallic thread around all 8 points of the kiku.

Repeat the process on the other side to finish.

At this point I realize I somehow managed to miss processing photos for the next step.  This will be working the obi, which wraps around the equator of the temari.  Off to do that, then I'll do another post.

Temari - starting an 8 point star pattern

Hey, I'll bet you thought we were all done with measuring and pins, right?

Not quite.

To recap: we've wrapped a core, measured and pinned it, then placed the guide lines.

In this next series of photos, we will start working on an 8 point star (kiku) pattern from two centres - the North and South poles.  For this you'll need to choose at least 2 colours (I'm using three) of thread, plus a contrasting metallic thread.

For the coloured thread, cotton perle is recommended, but you can also use ordinary embroidery floss.  For the metallic thread, I chose to stick with the same colour as the guide lines, but it can be any other colour you choose.

You will also need your sharp, large eyed needle, more pins, and I'd recommend keeping those pliers and thimble handy, too.

Oh, and another strip of paper to measure with.  Snip a bit at one end so that you can slip it onto the North pin, as you did to the strip for measuring out the guide line pins earlier.  For the pattern I'm doing hear, pencil in a mark 1 3/4 inches from the pin.



Place a guide pin at the mark at each guide line.  After you've marked the Northern hemisphere, move the paper to the South pin and repeat the process.



When you're done, you're going to have this hedgehog looking thing.  There will be a North pin, a ring of 8 pins 1 3/4 inches from there, 8 pins marking the equator, another ring of 8 pins 1 3/4 inches from the South pin, and finally the South pin itself.

Now, finally, you can start stitching!

If you're not much of an embroiderer, no worries.  Stitching the design involves tacking the design around a guide line, catching a few strands of sewing thread in the process.  This is why wrapping that sewing thread randomly was so important.  If the threads run in the same direction, your stitches would just slide out of place.

To begin!

For this part, I used the full 6 strands on the floss, so there was no need to split it like we did for the guide lines.  Cut a length you're comfortable working with, thread your needle and tie a knot at one end.

To make an 8 point star, you will actually be stitching two overlapping 4 point stars.



Insert your needle near one of the guide lines, so that the ends will be hidden after the knot is cut away, and bring it up on the left of a guide line as close to the North pin as you can get it.  I have that point marked A in the diagram above.  As with the guide lines, you may need to give it a few tries before you get it where it needs to be.  Thumb digging may be required.  Pliers may also be needed to pull the needle through.



Rotating the ball slightly clockwise, bring your needle down to the guide pin on the first guide line on the right, which I have marked as B.  Insert the needle on the right of the guide line, just below the pin, and exit on the left, catching a few strands of the sewing thread in the process.  Pull the thread through and rotate slightly clockwise again.



Bring your needle back up to the North pin, now working around the next guide line to the right, which I've marked C.  Again working as close to the North pin as possible, make a stitch from right to left around the guide line.

Continue around the ball in this manner until you've made 4 points on your star, with the last point at the pin labeled H.




From point H, bring your needle back to point A.  Insert the needle to the right of the guide line at point A, then exit to the left of the guide line at point I.  Note that point I is on the same guide line as point H.

You are now beginning your second 4 point star.



From point I, rotate slightly clockwise and make a stitch at point J.  Note that J is on the same guide line as point A.



Bring the strand up and to the right, working the next stitch at the North pin at point K.  In this photo, you can see where I cut the beginning knot away.  The bit of thread still visible will be hidden by the strands of thread.

Continue working around in this pattern to form another 4 points.



When you reach the end, insert the needle to the right of the guide line at point I.  If you look closely at the photo (you can click on the image to go to my flickr page, where you'll have access to a slightly larger version), you can see I've exited the needle at point G, to the left of the guide line and slightly below the previous stitch. This is another time when manhandling things with your thumb helps to get the needle out in the correct location.

At this stage, you can remove the guide pins at the points.



Bring the strand down to the next point on the right, making your stitch slightly below the previous stitch.



I like to refer to the first stitch in every round at point A.  Since we have shifted over by one strand in the second round, what was point G before is now point A.   After making your stitch at point B, bring your needle back up to the pin, labelled point C.  Always working your needle from right to left, notice that the needle now runs under both strands of the previous stitch, as well as under the guide line.



Continue working around for both overlapping stars.  Finish off the thread by running it back and forth into the padding a time or two to anchor it.

Repeat all these steps around the South pin.

After this, it's time to switch colours.  It's also time to let my husband have a turn at the computer, so it will wait until later!