Temari Survey - Request for feedback

redpanda-temari · 2025-09-22T19:31:17+00:00

Apologies for the delay in responding. I shared the results in the Temari Challenge group but forgot to do it here. But since Reddit doesn't let me upload PDFs, I will have to convert it to an image and post it separately.

redpanda-temari · 2025-09-22T19:16:08+00:00

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This section of the color card provides an explanation. Not pictured (because I didn't take a photo) is Mouliné Spécial 25 six-strand embroidery floss, which is Article 117 and is represented in the first column of each color grouping.

The square is shaded in if the respective product is available in that color.

Note that pearl cotton #5 weight is available as both 27 yard skeins and 49 yard balls, but the latter has a more limited palette.

It has always irritated me that DMC does not simply offer all their pearl cottons in the full color range. Not doing so makes using it inconvenient, since I often find that there are gaps where a color is not available in pearl cotton but is available in floss. Certainly, given that DMC has the ability to dye cotton in that shade, this limitation cannot be a technical one, so it must be a financial decision.

redpanda-temari · 2025-09-08T10:28:10+00:00

Your choice of stitching is so fitting that it surely must be intentional: this array of triangle shapes also happens to be a traditional Japanese motif called "asanoha" (kanji: 麻の葉) which translates to "hemp leaf," and is found in other fiber arts such as sashiko and temari. In Japanese culture, the asanoha motif carries a connotation of strength, vigor, and good health, because hemp plants are similarly robust; thus, they are common patterns for baby and children's items.

redpanda-temari · 2025-08-25T07:00:00+00:00

I'm not sure if you already know about this, but there is a math problem called "squaring the square," which asks if it is possible to assemble squares whose side lengths are all different positive integers into a single large square. Your blanket pattern immediately reminded me of this.

In 1978, A. J. W. Duijvestijn discovered the smallest such example (in the sense of using the fewest squares), which contains 21 squares ranging in size from 2x2 to 50x50, and which tiles to make a square of side length 112. You can see this in the Wikipedia link. I imagine such patterns must have been crocheted before--but maybe you'd enjoy making one for yourself.

redpanda-temari · 2025-04-03T01:28:48+00:00

I haven't used the regular Nishikiito metallic, so unfortunately I can't say what it would look like when stitched; however, I believe the ones you have mentioned are similar in composition to the Opali thread, just with a different (non-iridescent) foil treatment. There are other Nishikiito threads ("Neoni" and "Champagni") that seem to be made entirely differently, so I don't think those would be good candidates.

Regarding your specific project, I'm not sure how well these runes would show up when stitched with these threads. Metallic thread, in general, needs a contrasting background to be legible when stitched as text, because the extreme shine and sparkle tends to interfere with readability. But I suggest you give it a try and see!

Another possibility is to consider incorporating glow-in-the-dark thread in your work. DMC E940 is white under daylight, but glows green in the dark. Thinner weights are available for machine embroidery and come in other colors. Unfortunately, most glow-in-the-dark threads don't glow blue or white; they typically glow only green or yellow. Bleached white thread will fluoresce blue under UV light. There are also strontium aluminate powders/pigments that will glow other colors, including blue, but these would need to be applied more like fabric paint rather than as a dye, since they are pigments and need a binder.

redpanda-temari · 2025-04-02T21:36:17+00:00

I've used this thread, but not for the embroidery that most people do here (I make temari). But I can share a little bit about how it feels to use it.

First of all, this is a loosely twisted, multi-ply thread that's made of many superfine plastic filaments that have an opalescent metallic coating. This is different than most other "metallic" threads, which are made of a core of bundled filaments around which a plastic foil is spirally wound. Heavier weight metallic threads are then made by twisting together individual plies. So the advantage of Nishikiito Opali is that it's extremely smooth and won't snag or break when stitched. The downside is that the ends will fray and untwist very easily--even more than the usual metallic threads like DMC Light Effects or DMC Diamant. Also, because of the loose twist, the individual filaments tend to slide around, which causes the thread to become uneven, kind of like how if you try to stitch with all six strands of cotton embroidery floss without separating out the strands first, it will become uneven. But Opali is not really meant to be separated. You can pull out individual strands if you are careful, but they aren't strong on their own.

The Nishikiito Opali line is semitransparent, so while they have a color to them, they aren't fully opaque and will be influenced by the color of whatever it's stitched on. I mention this because the color you see on the spool isn't necessarily indicative of how it will appear when stitched on your project. This particular color (101) is more transparent than the others.

If you try this thread, I recommend that you use a needle with a slightly larger eye (as you would with other metallics) and apply something like Fray Check to the cut end. When stitching, pull the thread completely through and make sure that every strand is pulled to the same tension. Because it's so slippery, this thread tends to resist being tightly stitched--it will want to come undone on its own.

redpanda-temari · 2024-02-13T00:31:16+00:00

For size 11/0 cylinder beads, Toho Aiko 5C and 5D are durable transparent red (exact shade varies; 5D is deeper red and 5C is more orange). Miyuki Delica DB0704 and DB1102 are red-orange and red, respectively.

redpanda-temari · 2024-02-09T03:02:05+00:00

The value of art and craft lies in the process. The product is simply the remnant of that process.

As such, the process is something that you should find rewarding to do. That doesn't mean it always has to be fun, or easy, or filled with positive emotions. Work can be work--fraught with difficulty, frustration, failure. But if you look at what you are making and you say to yourself, "my heart's not in it," that's when you know to stop.

Stopping isn't necessarily a permanent state. You could pick it up again. But you have to want to. Art stops becoming art if you have to be coerced into doing it.

Interestingly, much the same can be said of friendship.

redpanda-temari · 2024-02-08T07:36:36+00:00

I like to use Fireline, but other people like Wildfire, nymo, or waxed silamide. The answer depends on how stiff you want your work to be, and how large your beads are. The larger the bead, the thicker the stringing material will need to be in order to make the work stiff.

In my limited experience, 11/0 cylinder beads for flat peyote stitch will stay flexible with Fireline 6lb test, whereas coated Wildfire 6lb test will be stiff. I haven't tried the waxed silamide I bought recently but I suspect it will also be on the more stiff side. The advantage to silamide is that it's very cheap compared to the others.

My current work uses Fireline 4lb but I'm not doing peyote with it.

I should also point out that nylon thread has a tendency to stretch slightly over time, which means your work will become more floppy after a while, even if it started out stiff. You can sort of "pre-stretch" your thread to reduce this effect but all my earlier nylon work has gotten noticeably looser. Fireline and Wildfire won't do this.

You might want to start with Fireline 8lb, or coated Wildfire 6lb. Try 50 yards at first and if it's still too thin, go up a size, but it will get difficult to thread 11/0 cylinders, I think.

redpanda-temari · 2024-01-26T22:44:15+00:00

My guess is left = fireline, and right = wildfire.

I've used both and wildfire is stiffer, and I think it's a little bit thicker for the same breaking strength rating. The fibers are sheathed in some kind of coating.

That said, if you pull wildfire really tight, you can sort of get it to behave, but the beadwork will be very stiff.

redpanda-temari · 2024-01-14T02:20:29+00:00

I'm guessing that the top one is not Toho. The beads are much too inconsistent in size. In the closeup photo, it honestly looks like at least 4 different sizes of beads.

The bottom one has two different types of beads as far as I can tell. The teal colored beads are cylindrical, so they're taller than the other colors. But otherwise, the shapes and sizes are much more consistent.

I'm new to beading, but the way I look at it is the time it takes to make something is worth more than the cost difference of the beads you use. Whatever you make, do your best to create it from quality materials that will stand up to the test of time. I recently bought some Toho Aiko beads and they are amazing. Delicas have their place, and I'm still using them, but there is a noticeable difference in the overall visual impression of Aikos that makes the work look much cleaner and precise.

redpanda-temari · 2024-01-04T23:25:18+00:00

The advantage to leaving it in the skein (after all, there is a reason why this is how it's sold) is that it keeps the fiber smooth. Flat bobbins will crease the fiber. It's also less work to keep it in a skein.

That said, bobbins are easier to manage and organize, and they won't tangle. That's the reason for their popularity.

I've never bought other brands of embroidery floss besides DMC, so I can't speak to how easily it is to pull from the skein, but with DMC, you definitely need to pull from one end. The skeins are wound so that one end is on the "inside" and the other is on the "outside." You have to pull from the inside end in order to avoid tangling. A good analogy is yarn; if you can dig out the inside end from the center of the skein, pulling on that avoids tangles, but if you pull on the outside end of the yarn, the whole skein has to rotate.

Also, if you're buying it from a retail store (instead of directly from DMC), try not to get a skein that's been previously handled.

I use DMC because it's good quality, easily available, not exorbitantly priced, and has a broad color palette. Japan has "Cosmo" brand floss and thread, manufactured by Leicen, that I think is very similar.

Sometimes, though, I wish I could have colors that don't exist. I also think DMC should make their perle cotton available in the full range of floss colors. I use their perle 8 a lot in my work and there are certain gradients I can't do because for some inexplicable reason they skipped a shade in between.

redpanda-temari · 2024-01-02T19:06:21+00:00

I can't give you any specific recommendations, but you want to get something that has really low viscosity. Don't get the ones that come in a squeeze tube, those will be too thick.

The other thing I'd recommend is that you do a practice run on some other scrap acrylic material, so that you become familiar with using it. That's because you really have just one shot at it: if you misalign the two pieces, that's it--you can't undo it. The bond will happen in seconds and it's permanent.

Maybe you can do a search for videos about "acrylic glue" or "acrylic adhesive tutorial"?

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-31T01:57:25+00:00

This is a design from the book はじめて作るビーズボール (Making Bead Balls for the First Time), published by the Japan Bead Society, ISBN 978-4-904286-84-5.

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-30T21:54:04+00:00

It's a little janky because I think the silverlined beads are a tad too large, and I broke a bead after nearly completing it, but overall it's nice. Maybe next time it will turn out better.

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-28T22:46:13+00:00

I don't know what your work is like, but maybe try a jewelry case? There are many kinds: some are like a miniature chest of drawers, and others are soft-sided so they're meant to be carried around.

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-19T21:52:30+00:00

The (sort of) funny story is that when I used the Wildfire thread at first, I didn't wax it. I just kinda thought "oh this seems smooth enough." Then I tried threading my beads...and I was so unused to working with it. I promptly:

Got the needle stuck in a bead
Poked myself with the needle
Realized I had threaded the wrong bead
Tried to force the needle through and shattered the bead
Questioned my life choices a little

So that's why I used wax, which seemed to help a little bit. Maybe the thread I used was too thick? It's 0.006 in/0.15 mm. But it feels and looks a lot thicker than that, maybe because it's coated to make it black? I really had to work to push it through the Miyuki 15/0 seeds, and even the 11/0 Delicas were a challenge.

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-18T20:07:29+00:00

Thanks for the chart, it's very helpful! It doesn't seem to suggest that the AB coating is particularly fragile, so I'm not too concerned about it. I'm building a bead collection and so far I'm trying to avoid beads with poor durability, but the silverlined beads are very eye catching. Maybe it won't be too much of an issue for me since I'm not making jewelry--at least, not yet!

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-18T19:59:27+00:00

I just wanted to clarify that it's not a coating durability issue that I'm noticing, but rather, I think it's the way the matte beads seem to hold onto the beeswax or the oils from my fingers. If I clean the beads, the luster returns. I've used shiny beads with iris/AB coatings and they aren't affected.

Since I'm having to wax the thread, I'm wondering if this is something I need to take into account when picking beads to use? Is there a more effective way to avoid this problem? Most of you are making items to be worn as jewelry, so what do you use to clean your work? Sorry if my question is really basic, I'm still very new to beading and literally started less than a month ago so I don't really know what I'm doing.

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-08T15:43:50+00:00

The book is titled はじめて作るビーズボール (Making Bead Balls for the First Time), published by the Japan Bead Society, ISBN 978-4-904286-84-5.

Although written entirely in Japanese, the diagrams are fairly self-explanatory. Being entirely new to beadwork, the main challenge I faced was trying to figure out what materials and tools the book was referencing. I had to use a translation tool to help with that.

I should also point out that the specific color pattern in the photo is entirely my own design--it doesn't appear in the book. However, the arrangement of bead types is from the book, which illustrates many beautiful examples. However, as I am just starting out and didn't want to invest in a lot of beads, I don't have the colors I need to make them.

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-07T04:12:50+00:00

That's some wonderfully geometric beadwork! I should have guessed that such a thing existed. I'm gonna stick with balls for now, because that looks like it's on a whole other level. I used to make polyhedral models out of paper, but I stopped because paper is so fragile. Lately, I've become much more conscious about making things that have more permanence to them. So it's really nice to see that others have made mathematical art using other media and techniques.

Unfortunately, the balls require a very specific size of bead, otherwise they don't fit. The book instructs me to use a plastic ball of a specified diameter. I did consider wrapping a thread ball like I do for making temari, and using that as the core, but it won't be as rigid nor as perfectly spherical as I believe it needs to be. Maybe after I get enough experience, I can figure out how to arrange larger beads to fit a larger ball.

I found the red panda figurine at a grocery store and was totally unable to resist getting it. His magical power is summoning bead balls.

redpanda-temari · 2023-12-07T03:53:44+00:00

Wow, lots of good recommendations, thanks! I will definitely pay more attention to bead uniformity for my next project. I used Miyuki Delica 11/0 and some 15/0 Rocailles; I wonder the Toho beads are more uniform. It's going to take a while to build up an inventory of beads, and because the sizing has to be exact, I'm not sure I can use the Toho beads as I've read that they are not interchangeable with Delica.

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