Japanese Temari: A Colorful Spin on an Ancient Craft »

Barbara Suess is a member of the Japan Temari Association, writes temari patterns, teaches temari classes, creates temari-inspired jewelry, and runs Kiku Designs, a temari business at japanesetemari.com. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For centuries, temari balls have been decorative additions to the Japanese household, and this introduction for the beginning temari-stitcher features straightforward directions and detailed sketches for recreating their bright colors and intricate designs. Each section introduces a new stitching technique, guiding the reader through the temari repertoire, until he/she has become a temari master by the book's conclusion. These crafts are inexpensive and fast to make—half of the 26 designs can be completed in less than two hours each. Sidebars throughout the book are loaded with beautiful watercolors and notes on Japanese culture and poetry, and colorful pictures and rich text make this unique craft book appealing to buyers both as a how-to guide and as a beautiful gift book.

Constance Ashmore Fairchild - Library Journal

The crafting of temari-colorful balls wrapped in thread and embroidered with geometric designs-is relatively new to North America. Temari gives embroiderers rare experience working with three-dimensional forms. A teacher with her own temari business, Suess offers step-by-step instructions for basic techniques and 20 projects with American themes. The designs, however, look the same as those on traditional Japanese temari. Recommended for public library crafts collections.