I
happened upon a darling item to add to my personal temari collection
and it became one of the main projects for the Temari NY 2004 Stitchin.
While quite simple to do, the results give impressive results. I share
it as inspiration for you - but as the original piece was purchased
recently from Japan, with the maker's signature on the base and it is
not an older item, I
ask that the idea not be used for profit in respect to the original
artist's creativity. (If I could provide accurate credit to the creator
it would be so.)
The basis is simple - work a pole-to-pole kiku temari (although the participants at the stitchin did vary out into some other designs....), and with a few simple wooden parts available from the craft store, you can create an adorable temari-interpretation of a Kokeshi doll. While adaptable to any size, the inspiration piece uses a three inch mari with a 20 vertical divide, and a pole-pole kiku worked around with a half-inch obi wrapped around the center. Use wooden doll heads (also called drilled balls) - about 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 inch diameter (they have a partial hole drilled into them with a flattened side to allow for positioning on the shoulders), and paint facial features with either permanent markers or acrylic paints. Use a piece of small dowel or bamboo skewer to hold the head on the temari along with glue. You will also see other wooden parts by the doll heads in the store, such as tiny flat disks, small domes, etc. that with little imagination can be glued on for hats and topnots (use good quality craft glue), again painted as shown. Some folks took it a step farther and added textile hair rather than painting....
Then using bunka (chainette) yarn, make looped tassles to form arms and tack them to the sides of the temari as shown. Add a base for your little person to sit on and you are through....
The basis is simple - work a pole-to-pole kiku temari (although the participants at the stitchin did vary out into some other designs....), and with a few simple wooden parts available from the craft store, you can create an adorable temari-interpretation of a Kokeshi doll. While adaptable to any size, the inspiration piece uses a three inch mari with a 20 vertical divide, and a pole-pole kiku worked around with a half-inch obi wrapped around the center. Use wooden doll heads (also called drilled balls) - about 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 inch diameter (they have a partial hole drilled into them with a flattened side to allow for positioning on the shoulders), and paint facial features with either permanent markers or acrylic paints. Use a piece of small dowel or bamboo skewer to hold the head on the temari along with glue. You will also see other wooden parts by the doll heads in the store, such as tiny flat disks, small domes, etc. that with little imagination can be glued on for hats and topnots (use good quality craft glue), again painted as shown. Some folks took it a step farther and added textile hair rather than painting....
Then using bunka (chainette) yarn, make looped tassles to form arms and tack them to the sides of the temari as shown. Add a base for your little person to sit on and you are through....
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