Temari is a Japanese toy; art form, and craft. It is a type of embroidery that is done on the surface of a thread ball. Per Wikipedia: Temari (手まり) balls are a folk art form and Japanese craft that originated in China and was introduced to Japan around the 7th century A.D.[1] "Temari" means "hand ball" in Japanese. Balls made from embroidery may be used in handball games.
I don't remember when I was exposed to it; my father had a business associate from Japan, Dr. Nakahara, and I know he and his wife came to our house but I don't remember a Temari ball then; but from there I did develop a fascination with Japan and their various art forms and crafts.
Fast forward to the 2000's and I was sewing kimono jackets from pieces of recycled kimono's; I was sewing quilts with Japanese themed fabrics, as well as Sashiko stitching.
In 2006 I saw a basic class on Temari being given in Orange County, California. I not only took that class but 5 more over the next year. My first balls were rather bad (see below) but I got better, bought books from Amazon and well as Amazon Japan and even thought about getting certified by the Japan Temari Association.
In 2009 I started to work in metals and Temari fell off my radar.
Not any more. Since I am taking a break from metals at the moment, I picked up Temari again and decided to work on the at least the first two certification levels (there are 4) as this will also improve my skills and knowledge. I am doing this by doing a course with Barbara Suess who has achieved the top level of certification, Kyoujyu (Master, Level 4) in 2015. The course I am starting with is Level 1 Part 1 and it is a correspondence course via email with the course material delivered via a USB stick, which should be in my snail mail postal box early next week. There are two courses for the Level 1 certification and 2 parts to the Level 2 certification.
Then to add icing to the cake, I am going to the John C. Campbell Folk School in October for 5 solid days of Temari work, again with Barb.
Now for the eye candy! They are in some sort of order oldest first and the newest last.