Thread Art in the Round

How to Make Japanese Temari

The first question folks ask me about temari is often “how do you make that ball?” Temari is a craft of recycling so you can use things you might already have in your crafting supplies. I’d like to share with you how to quickly make a round ball that is ready for your stitching. And there’s lots more waiting for you in my Etsy shop, where you’ll find books, patterns, and courses!

But first, here are some places for experienced temari makers to find lots of help making temari.

Five Steps to Making a Temari Ball

  1. Use a stocking or a sock to hold your filling.
  2. Add 1 cup rice hulls or other filling to the stocking. If you prefer to use a styrofoam ball,  you will need to purchase a 2 1/2″ diameter ball. Then you won’t need the stocking or the filling.
  3. Make a bell box and insert it into the center of the rice hulls. This step is always optional but it’s lovely to add the jingle of bells!
  4. Wrap with soft baby yarn until the circumference (the distance around the fattest part of the ball) is about 26 cm.
  5. Power wrap with cone thread (3 to 10 spools at once) and then finish wrap with a single strand of thread. It’s usually ok if your temari is larger by a couple of centimeters. Not smaller though, since the design will be crowded on the ball.

Why use centimeters? Most temari are measured and then divided into sections like the sections of an orange. When you use centimeters, the math is much easier.

Here are a couple of videos for you to watch me making the temari ball. I talk about lots of options and explain every step for beginners.

Part One - Make a Temari Ball, First Steps