There are certain times in all of our lives when things can feel out of control. Tough times like losing loved ones, job loss, divorce, etc. can really bring a prolonged sense of sadness and depression. I’ve been going through such a time for the last few years myself, and it had really put a damper on my creativity. I’ve not been stitching many temari, nor really doing much other than dealing with “life”. For a while, it felt like it was never going to be different, and I would be stuck in this darkness forever.
But I’ve been lucky to have friends and family remind me that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel, and that things WOULD get better. I’m grateful for their support through this wild ride, and I’m happy to say that I’m finally coming out of that funk! My needle is moving again, bright colors are coming back into my life, and I’m feeling a renewed sense of hope. I couldn’t be happier, nor feel more blessed. And I’m holding on to this newfound joy with both hands!
To channel this new creative spirit, I am focusing more on my temari persuits than ever before. I’m setting new goals, some ambitious (get that book done!), some indulgent (teach more!), some necessary but tough (get that Level 3 JTA certification done!). I love so many aspects of this art, and I want to work towards spreading the knowledge of it in as many ways as I can. But self-discipline can be tough, and my goals are lofty.
That’s where this blog comes in. I’m hoping to use this platform to keep me on track. Routine and schedules are hard for me to follow, but I’m going to do my best to stay accountable to myself by posting weekly on this blog. I hope to report on all things temari (and maybe even fiber arts!) in my life, but also to use it as a way to keep myself moving towards my goals. I would be honored and thrilled if anyone reads it, of course! (Hey, thank YOU!) But at this point, I’m doing this for myself. Time to get organized. Time to get going on those goals. Time to really double-down and dive into my real passion of temari!
I’m so happy to report that things are looking up from here!
Doctoring with parents,loss of parents, loss of uncle, loss of family farm, and after clearing out that beloved farm, I have developed arthritic issues in my hip and knee that keep me from being as mobile as I used to be….anyhow, I, too, had put my stitching away for several years, then, last year at a stitching show, I was intrigued with a kiku herringbone temari on display. I was invited to a temari workshop and have been creating pretty stitched items again (with the encouragement of a very helpful Temari enthusiast/teacher). The swirl is my favorite. I am interested in figuring out how you create the multi colored one. I have done the regular design that covers the ball with one color of cotton thread over a different color thread base, but oooohhh, the one you show on your blog looks enticing. Do you have a pattern for that. I cannot see how you marked it and where the “areas” start. Very intriguing indeed.
Thanks for your comment, Sheila! I’m happy that you have come back to stitching after a hiatus. Sometimes life really throws us long roadblocks, but we do find ways to get back to things we love.
The “Inhalation/Exhalation” ball does not have a pattern anywhere, as it is a relatively new design that I have come up with. I can tell you that the marking is on a 20 face (12 pentagons and 8 hexagons), which is a relatively “new” marking. The trick of this ball is that I used multiple colors when stitching each face, sometimes as many as 6 colors! It was a very slow and tedious process. This one ball (between designing, stitching, ripping out, and stitching more) took me almost 2 months to complete. I’m glad its finished, but I do see why I’ve never seen this kind of color work before with this type of stitching!
Jen