Time flies and farewell 2010

I had an end of the year luncheon with my mother and sister today and found this on the dish of hors d'oeuvre.  It says Time Flies and indeed it does.  Thank you for reading my blog posts this year and wish you and your family happy and prosperous 2011.

Share Your Thimbles December 2010

This month we have six participants with 10 thimbles/rings/ beading, despite the fact that it's December, one of the busiest months with holidays.  They are all very lovely and if you have not admired our work yet, here is a link to Flickr.  As you recall I have lifted the technical restrictions this month and you can see back stitches and weaving were used on a few thimbles/beading. 

We have six entry to the monthly lucky draw and the lucky winner of this month is number 4, quiltsummse, who shared her beautiful thimble named autumn forest with us.  

Quiltsummse, will you please send me an e-mail for shipping address? No hurry though, because the local post offices are now closed for New Years Holidays and won't be open until 4th of January.

Guess what?  I finally went ahead and made my own temari.  I have wanted to make temari for a long time but haven't got around to make one until now.  One of the main reasons why I didn't was the size of temari.  As I assumed that it was quite possible that I might be addicted to temari making, I feared I would need a lot of space to store temari.  One temari won't take too much space, but five or ten will require a substantial storage space, you know.

To save the storage space, I opted for a miniature temari.  In this size, I can store a score of them in a chocolate box easily.   

I used regular machine thread to wrap the ball and size 9 silk hand sewing thread (the same one I use for thimble making) and I am not very happy with the result.  It's quite possible that it is everything to do with my wrapping being so floppy (I know I need more work here) and nothing to do with the thread size being so similar but don't you think it looks too busy?   I am thinking silk floss for Japanese embroidery, the one untwisted silk fiber, for wrapping so that the background  would look much smoother.   Would temari experts kindly help me out?

maybe a little bit obsessed...

Further to my past post regarding my experiments on dark olive with lighter green, I made two more of the same design but in different colours:

With previous three pin cushions in amethyst and green, and these two, even I have to admit that I am a little obsessed, but I like the design and feel happy stitching. 

*** shop update ***
Actually this is not an update, but an announcement that I am seriously considering changing the currency of my shop.  At the moment the currency exchange rates are relatively stable, however when it fluctuates again I have to but  review the price of my merchandise and I really hate it.  Even though it's not a price hike from my point of view, it actually is for the customers.  Setting the price in Japanese Yen other than U.S. dollars allows me not to revise the price due to currency fluctuation.  I hope you understand.  Thank you.  C.P.

Share Your Thimbles - December 2010

I just can't believe it's already December.  I haven't completed as much projects as I hoped at the beginning of the year, but I am very proud of myself that I have been hosting a thimble photo sharing at Flickr throughout the year and this is the last occasion for you to join the group this year. 

As I told you the other day that it's our one year anniversary and our photo sharing is now into the year two this month.  I am not sure how this is going to affect the group, but I have decided to lift the ban on the technique you can use on your thimbles:  From now on you can use back stitch and weaving as well as embroidery on the surface.  My contribution to this month's photo sharing is orange pin cushion, in the same colours as Japanese maples (which do not produce maple syrup by the way) at the moment.  They won't last long and within a week or so these beautiful leaves will be all gone. 

Here are the general rules:

1. The thimbles (or any other rings) have to be your own work.

2. Although the group name says "thimbles", your work is not necessarily a thimble and you can make your rings in any size you would like, as small as a focal bead for the necklace or as big as a bracelet, or even bigger.

3. As stated above, they have to be your own work however, you can use the ring base from the kit if you choose to do so. It may not seem to be fair, considering I sell the kits, however, they are many other kits available (at least in Japan) and some of you may be able to obtain them, and it is definitely not fair to exclude the people brave enough to share their first work with us from the group.

4. No technique restriction applies.  You can use back stitch and weaving in addition to the forward  stitch, and even embroidery on the surface if you choose to do so.  This is not a contest.  You do not need to use these technique if you are not up to it or you simply do not feel like it.  A simple and elegant bi-coloured scales design is always welcomed.

5. You can use any material, and in any colours, you would like.

6. Please state the size of the mould on which you formed your ring base in the description field of the photo. Please also mention what threads and padding you used, too, so that we could compare notes. In case you bought one of my kits, here are the size and materials: "first thimble" is 50mm in circumference and Tire Silk size 9 & floss silk padding. "small pincushion" is 61mm in circumference and Tire Silk size9 & floss silk padding. "medium pincushion" is 103mm and Tire Silk size 16 & knitting yarn for padding.

7. You can upload as many photo as you like. You can upload several photos of one thimble if you choose to do so.

8. The closing date is 21st of December 2010, Japan time. Please note that we are 9 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) in Japan. You can still upload your photo after the official closing date since I do not close the photo sharing pool, however, I do close the discussion board for entry to the lucky draw.


Now you can start uploading your photos from here.


We are going to have a lucky draw at the end this month, too. One lucky winner will receive the pin cushion of my contribution to this month's photo sharing which shown as above.  To participate in the draw, please leave a message at the discussion board at Flickr under the subject of "Thimbles of December 2010". As stated above, you can upload as many photos as you like however, you can enter the draw only once.  The winner of the draw will be announce here at my blog, not at the Flicker, by the end of the month.

You are going to be busy with the holiday approaching but take sometime for yourself for a few hours and make a small ring and make it a pin cushion, or a tall ring and then you have a beading for necklace.  They are especially good as a stocking filler.  Happy stitching.