Kokeshi Collection

Here they are - all the girls and boys with their temari. New ones, old ones. Paper one in the middle made of washi instead of wood. Some in the back demurely peeking around the others. Some hidden by the taller folk.

Treasures from Japan - dolls, dolls, and more dolls

I've never been much of a collector. No coins or stamps. No big fabric or thread stash. But over the last few years, it seems that I just can't resist the darling, wooden kokeshi dolls from Japan. Not all of them. Just the ones with temari, especially the older vintage dolls. Here are a few of my favorites. Don't they just make you smile?

More from the Nishijin Textile Center in Kyoto

Our first stop on a Sunday morning was to this colorful textile center in Kyoto. The second floor was filled with thousands of goodies to purchase and demonstrations in spinning, weaving, painting on fabric, embroidery and other textile arts. Of course, the temari grabbed my eye right away!

Temari at the Nishijin Center

"Obsessed with round things"

Obsessed? Yes, that's me. My publisher Anne Knudsen once said to me in her lovely British accent, "your books are wonderful for people obsessed with round things!" Coming from someone who has published many quilt books, her comment was well received here. And I was really happy to think there would be enough people "obsessed with round things" to buy our books. I love everything about Japanese temari - stitching them, studying photographs, writing patterns, and sharing them.

Early one vacation morning, I was sharing a sofa with my brother, a psychologist and an avid golfer. He was reading the paper and I was drinking coffee, watching the morning news, and trying to wake up. Quietly he said "you know it's okay to be obsessed with some things." Thinking he was talking about his passion for golf (so strong that he wins a heck of a lot of  amateur tournaments), I think I may have grunted and gone back to sipping my coffee. Later, it occurred to me that he may have been slipping a comforting, psychological nugget into my mind in case I was concerned about being so obsessed with Japanese temari that I spend hours each day "at work" with them. I smile at the thought that we are both obsessed with our balls - he with his little white golf balls and me with my brilliantly hued, handmade embroidered ones :)

I haven't yet figured out exactly why temari are so addictive to some of us. I've got a few ideas, though, and think a blog like this is a super place to share those ideas and also share the path I follow down the road of my "obsession with round things." Later this year, that path will lead me and two good buddies to Kyoto and Tokyo to meet with some temari masters. We want to share the tale of  our journey and to inspire many stitchers along the way.

BTW, those are kokeshi dolls holding temari in the photo. I'm obsessed with them, too. I think my brother would be okay with that.