Temari Thread-Ball Patterns

Also known as 手毬

Temari are Japanese balls wound with soft stuffing and layered thread, then divided into equal sections by guide threads and decorated with embroidery in bands, stars and flower-like shapes. The same count of divisions makes the pattern repeat evenly all round the ball.

Play the preview About this tradition

Temari Thread-Ball Patterns: photograph by Conveyor belt sushi — Photo: Conveyor belt sushi, CC BY 2.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Temari Thread-Ball Patterns: the game in attract mode

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How to play

Pick a thread colour and a shape from the tray under the disc.
Touch a segment to stitch it: the same shape appears in the matching segments all round, as the ball is divided into equal parts.
Copy the small ball shown above, then press Check.

Rules at a glance

The disc shows the ball seen from above its pole, divided into sixteen equal sections; the design repeats four times round.
Each shape you place is copied to its three matching sections in the same band.
A segment counts only when its shape and its colour both match the target; three stars need a nearly perfect copy.

About the tradition

Temari were made in Japan from old silk and thread scraps and are still stitched by hand today, from simple divisions to elaborate designs. The sphere is divided with pins and temporary threads before the final stitches are laid.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Japan and Korea.

Credits

Pattern design: World Heritage Games (original, in the style of the tradition)
Photo: Conveyor belt sushi, CC BY 2.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.

Sources

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_folk_art;_Temari%EF%BC%9B%E6%

Get the app

Temari Thread-Ball Patterns is one of 20 paper and paint crafts in the Paper & Paint of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 20 paper and paint crafts in the app

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