Noisemakers in Maris
One thing that can make a Temari
even
more fun is to pop a noisemaker in the mari as you are making it. It
adds
just
another little element of surprise and fun to the finished Temari. It's
easy
to do no matter what you use for your mari base.... here are some
helps
on doing it and having it still make noise when you are done (this is
the
thing that catches most people - depending on what the mari base is
made
of and how the noisemaker is made, they can muffle your noise plans.)
What you use for the
mari
base will determine what you need to do to keep them noisy. If you
begin
with Styrofoam or dylite balls, then all you need to do is slice it in
half, then carefully scoop out a hollow in each half, a little larger
than
what you are going to use to make the noise. Be careful to not
crack
through the shell of the ball. The object here is there needs to be a
small
hollow area around whatever you are using for the noisemaker. The
easiest
thing to tuck in is a small jingle bell that you can buy by the package
in
craft stores. Or, use a few dried beans etc., for a rattle. I also like
to
pop a penny with the current year as its mint date in also for good
luck
- watch people's faces when you tell them it is in there. Put the two
halves
of the ball back to together and being your mari prep, either with the
batting
layer or the yarn wrap.
If you are making the mari from
scratch
from something like old nylons, plastic bags, socks, yarn, fabric etc -
then
things will be muffled by the material of the mari. You need to
use or make
a hollow container for the noisemaker that you can stuff inside the
mari
as you form it. Keep an eye open for any small container that you can
use, or you can make them. This can be done easily by making a tiny box
out of a
lightweight
piece of cardboard, such as an index card. I make mari cores, and my
favorites are using
soda/water bottle tops with some peas or rice - tape a piece of paper
over it
to hold the rice inside, or butt two caps together and tape. I'll
often
put a jingle bell in a card stock box. The lattice kittiecat play balls
also work great and are "premade" but it helps to put them in a corner
of a plastic bag or cover with a tissue so that if you are using small
bits in the core, they don't leak into the ball.
This is a frequent topic on
TalkTemari discussion and here are some
collected thoughts with thanks to the TT members:
+) Use a plastic bag
twist-tie and put a small bell on it, then suspend it
between two plastic soda caps and tape them together. The only sound
is the jingle, since the sides of the bell don't hit the
plastic.
+) Hollow out the inside of the Styrofoam, placed several 3
inch
skewer sticks parallel through the middle with a few seed
beads. It sounds like the "rain sticks" that when you turn them
over
they sound like rain.
+) Grab some hollow plastic practice
golf balls from the dollar store. They're the same
size as the plastic "kitty balls" with the bell inside, but instead of
being the hard plastic they have a little bit of give to them ... so
you can slit them and slide in whatever you want as a noisemaker and
they still retain their shape.
+) Use the clear, round, opening,
plastic
Christmas
ornaments for a center; just clip off the hanger loop on them.
Also try the containers from gum ball machines, that little
toys
come
in. For very big temari, try small food storage containers but this one
is difficult to get a perfectly round mari out of.
(July 2008: contributors' tips have been
consolidated into flowing text, for ease of use. Thanks continues to be
offered to all readers who contribute hints and tips)
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Last updated 7/08 © 1998, 2005, 2008
G.Thompson and Talk Temari members