Materials: 2-1/2" diameter Styrofoam (TM) ball
Polyester batting, 1/4" to 3/8" thick
Multicolored glass-headed pins, 1-1/4" long
2- or 3-ply yard (red -- 1 skein)
#50 red sewing thread (250 yds. or 2 small spools)
DMC perle cotton #5 in 5 colors (green, chartreuse, hot pink, yellow/orange and blue/violet)
Gold marking thread (Kreinik's Balger Ombre Gold #2000)
Scissors
Obi line
Paper strip, 3/8" wide by 11" long - Cut a circle of batting 1/2" larger than the circumference of the ball. Place the ball in the center of the circle, pull the batting from opposite sides to the top and pin it in place (figure A). Pull up the middle of the 2 remaining loops of batting and pin. Divide each quarter in half, pull and pin. Make sure it's all smooth and wrinkle-free, then cut away the excess batting, leaving no gaps and no overlaps. Leave the pins in place.
- Wrap the entire ball with yarn (figure B), continuously changing the position of the ball so that the threads don't double up and form bumps. After several turns, remove the pins and continue wrapping until no batting is visible. Anchor it by threading the tail of the yarn through a needle and taking 2 or 3 large stitches into the surface. Trim away the remaining tail of yarn.
- In the same manner, wrap the ball with #50 sewing thread until the yarn is completely covered and the ball is smooth and round (figure C). Finish off as above. This is the background for the final, decorative thread.
- With the strip of paper, measure the circumference of the ball and fold it into half, quarters and eighths -- and mark each point.
- Divide the ball into eighths with an obi line (the equator line). Mark the eighths and the obi line with the gold marking thread (figure D).
- Tack the north- and south-pole intersections and the 8 obi-line intersections.
- Place 2 pairs of red pins opposite each other on the obi line. There will be 1 pair of red pins close together horizontally on the obi mark line. Place 2 pairs of yellow pins midway between the red pins in the same way. If you look down on the ball from the North pole, there will be 4 pairs of pins around the circumference dividing it into 4 equal parts. The pattern threads will alternate wrapped layers of application between the red and the yellow keeper pins.
- On the mark lines with keeper pins (figure E -- two pins that act as goalpost to keep the thread in place), divide in half between the north pole and the obi and between the south pole and the obi line. Use the 1/8 mark on the strip of prepared paper.
- Cut the gold marking thread into 2 lengths that measure twice the circumference of the ball plus 6" (2 times the paper strip plus 6"). Thread a length into the needle and knot the end.
- Run the needle so that it exits between a pair of red keeper pins on the obi line. Hide the knot under the ball's surface.
- Hold the ball with the north pole at the top. Wrap the gold thread in a straight line diagonally (45 degrees) to the 1/8 mark pin on the left. Go above (north of) the pin and continue in a straight line to the red keeper pins on the opposite side of the obi line, on to the 1/8 mark pin on the south-pole side, and back to the start. Lay the thread through the keeper pins at the start. Now aim the thread diagonally to the 1/8 mark pin on the right, lay it on the north side, continue through the opposite keeper pins, down around the1/8 mark pin on the south side, and return to the start. To end, enter between the keeper threads and exit as far away as you can, sinking the needle as deep into the ball's surface as possible. Cut the thread at the surface.
- Repeat Steps 7 and 8, using the yellow keeper pins.
- Cut 2 lengths of blue/violet thread the same size as the gold (see Step 6). These will be outline threads. The wider bands of thread in the other colors will be wrapped directly from their spools.
- Lay an outline thread next to the gold marking thread, starting with the red keeper pins. Knot thread, wrap once to the left, then once to the right, exit and escape (trim excess) the thread.
- Thread with green, pulling only 3" to 4" through the needle's eye. Enter the needle between the red keeper pins and exit at 1-1/2" away. Pull out at 8". Remove the needle. Gently pull the thread from between the keeper pins until the end disappears.
- Wrap the green thread, laying it on the right (north) side of the outline thread. When you complete a circuit and head south, lay the thread on the south side of the outline thread. Always lay the thread on the pole side of the previous row. The keeper pins create a fan shape as the threads change back and forth from one side to the other. Use the thumb of your nondominant hand (the one not holding the thread) to align and hold each thread. Wrap 4 rows of green thread in this fashion, ending where you began, cutting a tail of 5", threading it, exiting with the needle and trimming away the excess.
- Repeat the entire process (Steps 10 - 13) with the yellow keeper pins.
- Continue the pattern, using precut lengths of outline thread (blue/violet) and wrapping 6 rows of thread. After completing the green wrap, outline and wrap in chartreuse, then outline and wrap in hot pink, and last outline and wrap in yellow/orange. This will complete the wrapping.
- Cut 1 length of blue/violet outline thread to secure the obi line. Enter the needle to exit just above the obi line and just left of the one-thread cluster. Pull the thread through until the end disappears. Take a small backstitch just above the obi line back over the thread cluster then under, catching a few surface wrap threads. Pull the thread tight around the cluster so it's securely anchored. Move to the next cluster to the left, aligning the thread so that it lies just above the obi line. Backstitch around the cluster. Continue around the ball to the start. Continue around again, aligning the thread and the backstitch just below the obi line. Exit and escape the thread. Once 2 rows of outline thread have secured the thread clusters, the keeper pins can be removed.
- Cut double lengths (4 lengths plus 12") of yellow/orange, hot pink and chartreuse thread, and continue to secure the clusters, working 2 rows in each color from the center out on each side of the outline thread. This completes the ball.
Products: All supplies are available at craft-supply stores nationwide. For an instructional video, contact the Guest -- information, below.
RESOURCES :
Temari: How to Make Japanese Thread Balls
Model: 087040881X
Author: Diana Vandervoort
(September, 1992)
Japan Publications
GUESTS :
Diana Vandervoort
Author and Temari Expert
Website: www.temari.com
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