Japanese Temari: Pumpkin in outlet Shades of Orange with Antique Dk. Brown French Silk, Iridescent Green Thread, & Russet/Gold/Clear Lampwork Leaf

Japanese Temari: Pumpkin in Shades of Orange with Antique Dk. Brown French Silk, Iridescent Green Thread, & Russet/Gold/Clear Lampwork Leaf

Condition: New and Unused

Measurements: the pumpkin is approximately 3 1/2" in diameter (8.89 cm).*

I love pumpkins in the Fall--the orange or cream orbs brighten up cloudy, blustery days as well as grin at us from porches on Halloween night! The temari pumpkins that I make are adaptations of a traditional Japanese "Spindles" pattern (see the example in photo 5 of a temari to be listed in the near future). It was while stitching a Spindles temari that I realized how well the pattern would adapt to creating a pumpkin, and as soon as I finished the temari in hand,I began gathering threads in shades of orange, brown, and green so that I could begin experimenting. It's great fun to vary the shades and textures of the threads, as well as to juxtapose a satiny thread with a fuzzy yarn or an iridescent cord with a velvety one. On most of the pumpkins, i also like to add one or more glass or stone leaves using bits of wire that I then coil to look like vine tendrils. I enjoy my little pumpkins so much that I've started stitching variations in cream and gold or cream and silver, and I'm thinking about other versions as well!

A decorating idea: If you want to create a unique decor for your table, take one or two garlands of silk leaves in Fall colors and either coil them, like a wreath, in the center or run them down the center of the table from end to end. Nestle different sizes of temari pumpkins in the leaves along with nuts, berries, or small branches for a natural look with an upscale twist!

* outlet Please note that there are no standard sizes for temari. Many temari have a Styrofoam ball as their core, and Styrofoam balls--like 2' x 4' lengths of wood--are not actually the size stated. Styrofoam balls consistently run smaller than their packaging states. Also, the amount of base thread wrapped on a ball may vary and the amount and thickness of pattern threads will vary greatly from ball to ball. Therefore, the measurements I list are loose guidelines only.