Temarikai Temari Inspiration Album Olympus Threads

TemariKai Inspiration Album - Using Olympus Threads (Japan's premier pearl cotton and floss - via EmmaCreation)

The Temari NY Stitchin 2006 group was honored to be asked by Olympus Threads (the premier thread manufacturer in Japan of Pearl Cotton and stranded floss) and the US importer, EmmaCreation, to help introduce these threads and products to the western market by having Olympus Threads, through EmmaCreation, very generously offer samples for everyone to try. Each Stitchin attendee was offered several skeins of Olympus pearl cotton in varied colors, metallic lame and a prepared mari core; each then went home to create a temari using the Olympus products and we are happy to show off the results here. Many folks also offered comments on using the threads. My personal experience with them is very good; the pearl cottons have a most beautiful soft drape, blend with each other very well and into the pattern design and the colors have a very noticable depth not often seen in other products. Olympus seesm to have overcome many of the quality control issues found in other product lines. We continue to work in conjunction with EmmaCreation to bring these products to the American market - stay tuned for some good news on that.

Input from those that created these temari, on using Olympus Threads:

Anastasia: i've been working on my olympus ball since last night - finally found a pattern that would work with the colors, and upgraded my S8 to a C8 to accomodate it. the threads are amazing. i'm doing a wrapped/woven pattern, and the thread tolerates the weaving *very* well and drapes beautifully.

Joan: I noticed right away how soft the pearl cotton felt. The twist was consistent and ample to keep the thread from shedding as I stitched. Ordinarily I would expect a twist to effect the soft feel and drape of the thread but Olympus seems to have found a way to have the best of both worlds. The thread is a joy to stitch with. I found the colors quite lovely without any "muddiness". Even the dark brown I used was clear and pronounced.I found myself liking the color and brown is not a color of pearl cotton I ordinarily choose to stitch with. I also used a yellow. I have found that Yellow can sometimes die thinner than other colors but the Olympus yellow pearl cotton was the same thickness as the other colors and had equal coverage. I found the metallic thread to be soft and easy to stitch with. The ends did unravel but the tread itself held up well being pulled through the thread layer. I tried stitching with a double thread but found that I had trouble getting the metallic to lay flat. I found it much better to use a single strand and stitch 2 rows.

Harriet: .what a joy to work with the colors and thread texture!

Diane B: I really liked stitching with the thread and want to get more of it. It has a very nice feel to it - very silky and has a nice sheen. It does not tangle or knot as badly as some thread. It lays very nice on the ball. I would recommend it.