Little did I know how close my craft life was to changing.


My DB and I decided that a doona cover in purples to match the purple geisha girl would give a really bright touch to the bedroom and link the 2 pieces together.  So the search began for fabrics that matched in with what I had used with the purple geisha girl.

We both really liked the "Garden Path" design and decided that as the 2 doona covers wouldn't be seen at the same time, it wouldn't matter if I did 2 doonas in the same design.  The fact that I already had the pattern pieces had a slight bearing on my choice of design.  After all,  "I'd been there and done that".

As I had used only 4 colours in that panel,  I had  quite a task ahead to find enough different fabrics to do another Garden Path.  So the search began.  My local fabric shop has a good range of Japanese fabrics for a country town,  but  not a lot of purples, and I had picked what I liked best for my geisha girl.

Just as well my DB is a very placid and patient man, because the next shop I knew of that has  a good range of japanese fabrics was at least 175kms away...each way...that is.  So armed with my pattern book and the remnants of fabrics we set off to hopefully succeed in this mission.  Mission accomlished.

Just after I finished this doona cover,  my local  fabric store owner, Mrs N asked me had I ever heard of Japanese Temari Balls, which I hadn't.  She said she was reading a book that made mention of them.  After she descrbed them to me I couldn't wait to get home and start googling.  Wow.  These balls are just beautiful.

And so the seed of temari fascination was sown.  Little did I know what lay ahead.

But before I could do anything about temari balls, apart from drool, I still had a slight problem.  I now have 3 geisha girls,  3 doonas and 2 doona covers.  So I still have to make another doona cover,  but the Temari time clock is starting to tick loudly.

Here is the pic of my 2nd doona cover.

Sorry about the few faded looking sections at the bottom,  I'm still learning how to take a decent photo.  Good or bad photography aside,  I hope you like my doona cover.

Getting started

I'm delighted that you're visiting my blog.  I hope you'll find it interesting.

My Temari experience had a rather strange begining.  I was in my local fabric shop and saw a panel set of 3 japanese geisha girls by Lonni Rossi.  If you are not familiar with them, they are the black outline of 3 different geisha girls.

One of our towns very talented quilters, Mrs N, had 1 geisha panel that she had appliqued hanging on display in the shop.  It was stunning.  I just had to have a go at them, although I had never appliqued anything in my life before.

Luckily, my local fabric shop carries a great range of japanese fabrics, and home I went with a "new project".   When I have a "new project",  I tend to become extremely single minded and tunnel visioned,  to the extent that meals can almost become non existent!!

I finished the 3 panels and I was rather pleased with my 1st attempt at appliqueing.  Mrs N very kindly painted the faces white and embroidered the lips red for me. 

My DB decided they were worth having framed.

Our local framer, who is an expert in his line of work, had to make a box frame for each panel as they all have some embellishment that sits up from the fabric.  He did a beautiful job and we were both rapt.

Now, where to hang them?  We decided that they'd look good on our bedhead wall.

So there they hang, with nothing else even resembling a japanese theme in the room.  Oh, I did have a large frame with a display of combs that I bought in China in the mid 80s, so they were a bit like something that would blend into a japanese theme.

The next project is about to begin.  More on that next time.

Here are the pics of my 3 geisha girls.