I tried making Kaga Temari (traditional Japanese embroidered balls) using a kit.

Many people have probably seen a "temari" (traditional Japanese embroidered ball) at least once. It's one of Japan's traditional crafts, but a common question is, "How are these made?"
The Couturier staff, captivated by the beautiful patterns unfolding on the sphere, decided to try their hand at this kit, "Kaga Temari Embroidery with Silk Thread, Reflecting the Scenes of the Four Seasons."
I will report on what happened.

There are roughly three steps to making a temari ball.

① Building the foundation　　
As the name suggests, it creates a sphere that serves as the base.

② Land division　　
We mark the base fabric with division lines for the embroidery. It's like a preliminary sketch.

③ Embroider the pattern　
I'll be using vibrant thread colors to embroider beautiful patterns. This is what I'm most looking forward to.

①Foundation building

◆Materials to use
・ネット　
·bell　
・Quilting batting　
・Wrapped yarn

Wrap the bell in netting and then wrap it in quilt batting.
Netting...the kind that's wrapped around apples and things like that, right? I wondered why they used it, so I asked Ms. Koide (who is a temari ball teacher), and she said it's to make the bells ring out more beautifully.
Apparently, the bell inside rings well ("yoku naru," meaning "to ring well"), which is a play on words and therefore considered auspicious. I see.

It looks like this at first. I wonder if it will turn into a sphere...

Along the way, I measured the circumference with a measuring tape...

I just keep winding it until I've used up all the base yarn.
It was misshapen at first, but somehow it became round.
I felt that it was easier to make a ball if I didn't put too much force into it.  

②地割り

◆Materials to use
ラメ糸　

The marking tape and scale from the instruction manual come into play here.
The marking tape is cut to size before use.
Prepare three different colored pins.

First, we'll determine the North Pole. (Anywhere is fine.) Then, using the map tape, we'll mark the South Pole and the equator.
This positioning, where the temari ball is likened to the Earth, is quite interesting.

Use the equatorial tape and ruler to reposition the pins at equal intervals.

Now the preparation is complete. Use glittery thread to draw vertical and horizontal lines along the pins.

Next, use a handy pattern to mark the number of rows to stitch.

And that completes the plot division.

③Embroidered patterns

◆Materials to use
Silk threads and gold threads

The colors and sheen are beautiful!! It's truly silk thread.

Okay! Now it's finally time to embroider on the sphere. Let's start the stitching.
The starting point for stitching varies depending on the design, but this time we'll start around the equator.
Here, you just need to wrap it. But make sure to follow the size of the ball, not too tight and not too loose, gently.

Now we move on to the main stitching. Basically, it's just repeating the same stitching.

Carefully pull the silk threads, aligning them as you go.

Patterns with row numbers are very useful when the markings are difficult to see.

The pattern gradually gets bigger. I simply savor the process of the silk threads overlapping.

Change to yellow and repeat the stitching.

Next is beige. The patterns have become larger on both the equatorial and Arctic sides.

Next, use white thread for the final row, and gold thread for the last row. After that, tie together the overlapping threads near the equator with reddish-purple thread.

Once you've stitched the Arctic and Antarctic sides together, it's complete!!

The title of this temari ball is "Moonlight."
I think the gradation of moonlight, when expressed with silk thread on a temari ball, has a unique charm.
When autumn arrives, I imagined myself gazing up at the full moon and creating an ensemble of sounds—the chirping of crickets and the tinkling of temari bells.

It took about 10 hours to make.
There weren't many types of stitches, so I think it went more smoothly than I expected.

The hardest part was winding the thread while being mindful of making the base round,
The tension of the thread when stitching. I found that pulling the thread a little more slowly made it easier to keep the threads aligned and less likely to tangle.
What I enjoyed most was watching the pattern gradually get bigger. I couldn't wait until it was finished, wondering what it would look like after I added the next thread, or maybe I should add one more color before taking a break.

A kit that lets you experience traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
This is an opportunity to challenge myself with techniques I've never used before, and the sense of accomplishment I feel when it's finished will likely motivate me to do it again.