temarimath.info

Investigating Basic Thimble Rings

The Basics

Setting up the mari

All thimble ring designs are done on simple divisions. The higher the division, the smaller the sections of the design will be. I found that even if I wanted to use fewer sections (like 8), it is useful to do more divisions to help keep the base lines straight and to keep the spacing of the stitches even. I like to start with an S16. A thin, flat marking thread will give the best result unless you are doing a special effect like the first variation below.

I do not mark the obi when I am doing a thimble ring. I place the pins and then measure up and down from them to establish the width of the band. One sixth of the total circumference of the mari is a nice width but you can choose whatever looks good to you. If you get too wide you will not have complete covereage about the obi area. In the picture the red pin is the N pole, the black is the S pole and the white pins show where the obi would be.

Place support lines for the top and bottom of the band. This thread can be the same weight as your design threads. It is often nice to use one of your design colors or a mari matching thread in case it ends up peeking through when you are all finished. These lines should be firmly anchored and not loose or they will be easy to pull out of place with your stitching.

The stitching pattern

The basic stitch pattern for thimble rings is a zig zag from the top line to the bottom continuing aroung the ball back to the starting place. Subsequent rounds can be placed to the right or left of the initial zig zag (or both right and left) with the direction being shown by small arrows next to the lines in the diagram.

Other designs may use more than one zig zag, or may have the zig zag cross multiple marking lines.

A diagram with a double zigzag
A diagram with multiple zig zags done in rounds
A diagram with multiple zig zags done across multiple marking lines

Stitching

There are three possible ways to make the stitches for the thimble ring. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses as well as best applications.

• The first is the usual stitch like what is used for any other zig zag on temari. This is not a good one to use in a thimble ring that will have complete coverage of the ball. Because of the way the stitch is made it does not allow you to place the stitches close enough together to get complete coverage. It is fine for a more open type of design but is problematic on a closely spaced one in my experience. This is the way that Diana Vandervoort teaches the 'Garland of Ribbons' design in her first book.
• The second is done by turning the ball and taking the stitch perpendicular to the guideline from the inner to the outer edge. The thread is left below the needle as the stitch is taken. This method results in a small gap showing while the design is in progress but will be covered when the design is complete. Because of the gap it is not appropriate for more open designs and should only be used on designs with complete coverage and closely placed stitches. It gives a nice rounded edge to the finished thimble ring. I did not like doing it this way when I attempted thimble rings the first time and I liked the last stitch method so much that I have not tried this one again.
• The last one is probably the most difficult to learn but it is my favorite. It makes a small straight stitch at the edge of the thimble ring giving a finished edge that is flat. Because of the way the stitch is made it causes the design threads to lie nice and even next to each other without much grooming. And because of the finished edge it is well suited to both closely packed designs and those with more space between stitches. Stitch tension is fairly critical with this one; it is easy to pull the support lines askew. This is the stitch that is used on traditional Japanese thimble rings. It is placed perpendicular to the support line but you have to pay more attention to where the thread is relative to the needle when you pull the stitch through. The thread will be under the point of the needle as you take the stitch as shown in the following pictures.
  
  Taking the stitch at the top of the zig zag
  Taking the stitch at the bottom of the zig zag
  Closing the round

Putting it all together

So, the basic steps of a thimble ring temari are as follows:

1. Wrap and mark a mari with the simple division of your choice leaving pins in for the obi.
2. Measure up and down from the obi and place two support lines for the edges of the thimble ring. Make sure to tack the lines securely.
3. Use your design thread to establish the zig zag line as shown in the diagram. Use the stitch method of your choice but always be mindful of your tension so as not to skew the marking line.
4. For additional rounds, take the stitches to the left or right of the initial stitches as indicated by small arrows on the diagram.
5. Continue to stitch until the ring is completely filled in.
6. Embellish the pole areas with the design of your choice. Swirls, kikus, pine needle and intersecting spindles all work well here but there are no rules. Do what seems best to you.

Variations

Simple striped wave pattern

This a a fairly basic design done with two alternating zig zags. They both progress to the right as it is stitched. This one was done on a Simple 8 division. It is notebook entry #060902.

Open wave pattern with wraps

This design is done by wrapping the base wraps in a layer before stitching the thimble ring. Then the thimble ring is stitch with the colors matching the wraps. The stitches are spaced apart giving an open look to the design. It is notebook entry #060901.

Open wave pattern with wraps

This design has a super wide thimble ring. The extra width causes the center portion of the design to be open like the second variation while the upper portions are densly packed like the first variation. It is notebook entry #061101.

Two color scale pattern

This design uses the same stitch pattern as the previous ones but in this case the colors are blocked. One zig zag is always stitched with red and the other is always stitched with yellow giving a very different look from the previous ones. Additionally, this one was stitched with three rows on each zig zag before alternating causeing a more jagged line where the colors come together. You can see clearly on this one how my tension was not consistent, causing the edges of the thimble ring to be rougher than they should be. It is notebook entry #061001.

Feather pattern with overdyed thread

This one was done with perle #8 and once again, the troubles with stitch tension are evident by examining the edge of the thimble ring. A smaller thread seems to make the tension problem even more critical. There are more sections to this design because the zig zags go across more than one division line. In this case one line is skipped and multiple zig zags are used to fill in. It is also done on a simple 12 division. It is notebook entry #061002.

Geometric pattern

This one is done on a simple 16 division giving smaller sections. Also, the thimble ring itself is much narrower than is usually done as a stand alone pattern. It becomes more of an obi embellishment than a design in its own right. The effect of the interlocked blue and tan bands on a field of red is done with careful color placement. There is one set of opposite zig zags. Both are stitched with red for half of the distance and then one is stitched with blue and the other with tan to finish up. It is notebook entry #070201.

Back to Top