How to Make a Temari

Temari are thread balls decorated with embroidery, having their roots in Japan centuries ago. They are easier to stitch than they might appear - there are several steps, but none of them are too difficult. There is no actual measuring involved when making Temari, so there is no math involved! Temari can be any size, and the pattern and color variations are endless. There are some patterns that are considered traditional. In this Instructable, we'll be making a traditional Kiku pattern, also known as a Chrysanthemum.

To make a Temari, the ball is shaped by winding yarn and then thread around some squishy material. Then the ball is divided and marked with thread and pins to lay the groundwork for the embroidery. Then the Temari design is stitched onto the ball.

Let's grab some materials and make a Temari!

The materials for making Temari are only limited by your imagination. We'll need squishy materials for the inside of the ball, yarn and thread for the wrapping (I like to have a color contrast between my yarn wrap and my thread wrap), and colorful/metallic threads for the decorative stitching. The threads and yarns are readily available at craft stores, yarn shops, and needlework shops, as well as on-line. Here's what we'll be using for this Temari.

Base Materials

• scraps of fabric and/or yarn - this is a great place to use all those little clippings that tend to accumulate

Wrapping Materials

• yarn - nothing fancy as it won't show. Worsted weight or lighter
• thread - sewing/serger thread - in whatever color you want your finished Temari to be

Stitching Materials

• perl cotton (size 5 and 8 work well), one or more colors. Available in commercial skeins/balls, as well as from some wonderful indie dyers
• metallic threads/braids - both thin and thick can be used

Notes: Dryer lint also works well for the base of the ball. For the yarn, don't use your fancy alpaca yarn here as it won't show in the finished Temari. You can use your odd bits and bobs of yarn, or perhaps that skein that you just aren't in love with anymore. The wrapping thread can be cotton, polyester, or a blend. Serger cones of thread are handy because there is a substantial amount of thread on the cone. I find that I use a full spool of 300-500yd (275-460 m) for a baseball-sized Temari.

The tools you need to make Temari are really quite basic. You'll notice there is no measuring tape involved because we'll be using just a simple paper strip to "measure" our Temari (no math!). Here's what we'll need.

Tools:

• pins - lots! It helps if the pins have assorted colors
• pincushion - Keep those pins in order. The classic tomato pincushion makes it easy to separate the pins by color
• needles - sharp needles with eyes large enough to accommodate your decorative threads. Chenille needles and doll needles work well
• paper scissors
• embroidery/fabric scissors - for snipping decorative threads
• paper - regular printer paper works well. I tend to use white paper so there is no chance of dye from colored paper rubbing off on the Temari

Shaping the ball that forms the base of a Temari is a relaxing process. Yarn and then thread is wound (and wound, and wound) around a squishy base, forming a sphere. When winding, it's important to continuously rotate and turn the ball so that the yarn/thread is positioned randomly across the surface. This will ensure we get a nice round ball. It will also provide a stable base for our decorative stitching. Let's get to winding!

Preparing the Ball

Wrap with yarn

• Grab a large hand-full of your base material (I'm using fabric/yarn clippings)
• Begin winding the yarn around the base material. Be sure to continually turn the lumpy ball with each wind of yarn.

• Keep wrapping/turning, wrapping/turning. Eventually the lumpy ball will turn into a smooth-ish sphere. Continue wrapping/turning until the base material no longer shows

Wrap with thread

• Now start wrapping the yarn ball with thread. Keep wrapping/turning, wrapping/turning. I find that putting the spool of yarn into a container keeps it from skittering all around the room
• The thread will eventually cover all the yarn. Just when you think you're done, keep wrapping/turning, wrapping/turning, wrapping/turning.
• When you've covered every last bit of the yarn, the ball should feel nice and smooth, and be very satisfyingly round. The thread layers will build up and provide a nice stable layer for stitching

Anchor the thread tail

• Thread the thread tail into a needle, and anchor the thread by taking a few small back-stitches and bury your thread into the ball. Snip the thread close to the ball

Note: have fun with your thread wrapping. Bold colors work well for Temari, or try combining threads. The front left Temari base in the last photo was wrapped holding red and white threads together.

Now we'll divide our base Temari into sections for stitching. The division for our Kiku Temari is called a Simple 16 - think of it like dividing the ball into 16 equally spaced orange segments. We'll be using a paper strip to measure off the divisions. It also helps to think of the ball like a globe - we'll be using North Pole, South Pole, and Equator to describe our pin placements, and marking the Longitude lines.

Prepare the Paper Strip to Mark the Poles

• cut strips ~1/4" (~6-7cm) wide. The strips do not have to be perfectly straight. Your strip must be long enough to go all the way around the ball. Tape strips together for extra length if necessary

Mark the Poles

• pin the end of the paper strip anywhere on the ball. We'll refer to this spot as the North Pole
• wrap the paper strip around the ball and fold the strip against the first pin. Trim the paper strip at that point.
• fold in paper in half by placing the end of the strip right up against the North Pole pin, then snip a notch into the strip at the fold. This marks the halfway point of the paper strip.
• wrap the strip around the ball again, and place a pin at the notch to mark the South Pole. Leaving the North Pole pin in place, re-wrap the strip at another spot on the ball to double-check South Pole pin placement - you may have to do this a few times to get a good South Pole pin placement.

Prepare the Paper Strip to Mark the Divisions (orange segments)

• fold the strip in half again and snip another notch to mark the 4ths.
• repeat folding in half and snipping twice more to mark the 8ths and 16ths too

Mark the Divisions (orange segments)

The first step to marking the divisions is to place pins around the Equator

• using your paper strip as a guide and with the halfway notch positioned at the South Pole pin, place a pin at the Equator - this will correspond the to the 1/4 notch on the paper strip
• rotate the strip around the North Pole pin and place another pin at the Equator. Repeat until there are 16 pins placed around the Equator. Don't worry if they're not quite evenly spaced yet

Now we'll tidy up the equator pins using the paper strip

• unpin the paper strip from the North Pole and place a temporary pin in the North Pole to remember that spot
• wrap the paper strip around the Equator and use the 16th notches to help evenly space the 16 pins.
• double-check the Equator placement by re-pinning the paper strip to the North Pole and checking each pin
• you may have to repeat these checks a couple times before being satisfied that the markings are consistently spaced - don't worry, this is expected.

Note: you could instead do a Simple-8 division - 8 orange segments. The last two photos show pin placement for Simple-8 division (red ball) versus Simple-16 (grey ball).

Now we'll use the pins as guides to lay down some dividing lines on the ball. A thin metallic thread works well for this and adds to the decorative effect on the finished Temari. First we'll lay down the lines, then we'll tack them down with stitches to secure them.

Marking the Divisions

• wind your marking thread loosely around the ball 9 times and cut from the spool. This will ensure the thread length is long enough to mark the divisions (orange segments). Unwind marking thread from ball
• thread a needle with the marking thread and make a small knot in the tail end
• anchor the thread into the ball by inserting the needle into the ball a few inches away from the North Pole, and bring the point of the needle up as close to the North Pole as you can. Tug the knot gently into the ball to hide it. Your marking thread should be securely anchored
• using the pins as a guide, carefully wind the thread from the North Pole, past one of the Equator pins, past the South Pole pin, past the Equator pin opposite the first one, and back up to the North Pole.
• pivot the thread around the North Pole and wrap the thread all the way around the ball again, next to the Equator pins adjacent to the first wrap. Continue wrapping and pivoting around the North Pole pin until the ball is divided into 16 orange segments (Longitude lines)
• Anchor the tail of the marking thread into the ball by stabbing it into the ball and coming up a couple inches (5cm) away, and then back into the exit hole and off in a different direction. After a few direction changes, snip the tail of the thread close to the ball

Marking the Equator

• cut another length of marking thread long enough to go around the ball 3 times. Unwind from the ball
• thread a needle with this thread and make a small knot in the tail end
• anchor the thread into the ball by inserting the needle into the ball a few inches away from any Equator pin, and bring the point of the needle up as close to the Equator pins as you can. Tug the knot gently into the ball to hide and anchor it
• using the Equator pins as a guide, carefully wind the thread around equator
• when you get back to the first pin, anchor the Equator to the Longitude line by taking two small back stitches forming an "x" around the Equator and Longitude lines
• position the needle at the next Equator pin by having the needle travel under the the surface of the ball, hiding the marking thread under the surface thread. Tack that point by taking two small back stitches forming and "x" around the Equator and Longitude lines
• continue traveling around the ball and tacking down at each Equator pin

Tacking down the Poles

• thread the needle with another length of marking thread - 18" (45cm) should be plenty. Make a small knot at the tail end of thread
• anchor the thread as before and bring the needle up very close to North Pole.
• tack down the North Pole by taking small back-stitches at the North Pole in between the Longitude lines. Place the back-stitches between each of the Longitude lines to secure the Pole. This will build up a decorative bump of thread at the Pole. Secure the tail end of thread as before - taking several direction changing long stitches under the surface of the ball
• repeat for the South pole

Now we'll place pins to mark where to stitch. For our Kiku Temari, we'll place a top pin and a bottom pin on each guideline.

• Using the same paper strip, lay the strip along a guideline and place a pin at the first notch and the second notch from Pole
• Move the strip to the next guideline and again place pins at the first and second notch from pin
• repeat until all guidelines have both top and bottom pins

To make this Kiku Temari, we'll be using a Herringbone stitch. It's an easy stitch to do - the photos show a flat example on paper as well as how it will look on the ball - we'll be using this stitch to make the Kiku on our Temari.

Right-handers: Stitches will be taken right to left, travel will be to the right around ball

• anchor thread with knot in ball, bring thread up to the left of first guideline
• move thread to the right and down - use your thumb to hold the thread in place where you want it to go
• make a small stitch right to left around guideline - hold needle perpendicular to the guideline
• move thread to the right and up - use your thumb to hold the thread in place where you want it to go
• make a small stitch right to left around guideline - hold needle perpendicular to the guideline
• move thread to right and down - use your thumb to hold the thread in place where you want it to go
• make a small stitch right to left around guideline - hold needle perpendicular to the guideline
• eventually you'll reach where you started - this completes the first pass. There will be a continuous line of zig-zag around the ball (third and fourth photos). End the round by plunging the needle into the ball - at this point finish off, or travel to the next set of stitches.
• to finish the first round, repeat this zig-zag herringbone stitching on the alternate guidelines (second pass) so that every guideline has both a top and bottom stitch (fifth and sixth photos)

For stitching on our Temari, we will repeat these steps to add layers of colorful zig-zags around the ball. These tips will help with stitch placement:

• stitches on each successive round are placed BELOW the previous stitch at both top and bottom pin
  
• at the bottom pins, place the stitches with some space below the previous stitch and use your thumb to hold the thread in place (seventh photo) - the natural tension of the stitches will snug it up.
• at the top pins, each successive stitch is wider than the previous. Look at the photo of the red/blue Kiku Temari - the stitches at the top points flare out as they travel down

Note: Left-handers: Stitches will be taken left to right, travel will be to the left around ball

Now comes the really fun part - stitching our design - the Kiku! Use your imagination to pick your colors - anything goes - I used two colors of perl cotton, thin metallic, and thick metallic and did six total rounds. Don't worry if the pins try to snag your thread. This is normal. Just stitch slowly and remember to use your thumb to help guide your thread. Here we go!

To stitch a Kiku, use the Herringbone stitch changing color when desired, and follow these basic steps for each round. Each round will take two passes in order to get both top and bottom stitches around each guideline.

• first pass: stitch around the guidelines from top pin to the next Longitude line bottom pin - this will yield a continuous zig-zag with top stitches on alternating guidelines
• second pass: stitch around the guidelines again, this time starting at a top pin on a guideline that only had a bottom stitch from the first pass

After two rounds, you should be able to remove the pins. Stitching will be a lot easier without the pins. The photos show the first few rounds as well as the finished Kiku.

Note: I'm going to repeat the tips from the previous step, because they really are the secret to stitching this design.

• stitches on each successive round are placed BELOW the previous stitch at both top and bottom pin
• at the bottom pins, place the stitches with some space below the previous stitch and use your thumb to hold the thread in place - the natural tension of the stitches will snug it up
• at the top pins, each successive stitch is wider than the previous, the stitches flare out as each round travels down

Our Kiku Temari has a Kiku design around one Pole, but now we need to repeat the Kiku design around the other pole.

Stitching the Kiku - Second Hemisphere

• place pins for stitch placement on each guideline as for first Hemisphere
• stitch the Kiku design again - traditionally the Kikus on each Hemisphere match exactly

Now we've got beautiful Kiku designs on each hemisphere of our Temari, but it's looking a little plain around the Equator. We'll fix that...

There are all kinds of decorations that can be added around the Equator of a Temari. Decorations placed here are referred to as an Obi. For this Temari, we'll be using a simple wrapped Obi which is held in place by a few widely spaced decorative Herringbone stitches.

Adding an Obi

• thread a needle with decorative thread. Make a small knot at tail end of thread
• anchor the thread as before and bring point of needle up very close to the Equator line
• wrap your thread around the Equator, close to the Equator marking thread. Continue wrapping for as many rounds as you want, laying each wrap right next to the previous wrap and traveling outward from the Equator
• make your thread travel under to the other hemisphere by stabbing the needle into the ball and bring the point of the needle up close to the Equator on the other Hemisphere
• repeat the Equator wrapping on this Hemisphere
• repeat these steps with other threads as desired, until the desired width of Obi is achieved

Securing the Obi

• thread a needle with another length of thread, make knot at tail end, and anchor the thread as before, bring the point of the needle up close to one edge of the Obi thread and at a Longitude line
• take a small back-stitch around Longitude line, then bring thread across Equator and take a small back-stitch at Longitude line two lines away (this is a wide Herringbone stitch). Repeat all the way around Temari
• repeat these steps on opposite points so that you end up with a series of "X" around the ball over the Obi

Adding Decorative Stitches in Open Space

• add decorative stitches as desired in the open space between Obi and Kiku. Here I've added a few long back stitches at each open space.
  

The Temari is now complete! I show both a 16 point Kiku and an 8 point Kiku in these photos, as well as some of the other Temari that I've stitched. There are so many patterns to explore! There are wonderful resources for patterns, history, and how-to information both on-line and in print. The last photo shows a few Temari books that I've used, both in English and Japanese - there are more authors than this. Even though I don't read Japanese, the Japanese books have great diagrams and can be followed once you are familiar with the basics of Temari.

I hope you've enjoyed this look at making a Temari, and that you'll try making one yourself!

I'm honored to have received the Grand Prize in the Fiber Arts Challenge in April 2021 - thank you!