Japanese Temari Association Certification Classes
Class closed for 2012.
Since 1979, The Japan Temari Association has continued its mission of promoting the craft of temari, developing and recording patterns, and educating interested temari stitchers through the publication of books and teaching classes. To encourage students and guide them through their study, JTA rewards them with certification at four different levels. If you love making temari, are self-motivated, and want to experience a journey of discovering new techniques as well as improved stitching and pattern writing, JTA membership is for you.
I am pleased to have the opportunity help you prepare for your Level 1 and Level 2 exams by the JTA judges. Getting ready to apply means you'll be looking for temari to fit the requirements, stitching at your best, and sending photographs to me which I will forward to the JTA. Level 2 applicants will also write their own patterns using the glossary in the class text. I will edit your work by making suggestions to help make your writing crystal clear and simplified for translation into Japanese. Ai Mizuta (Level 4) will do your translation and will send your documents along with payment to the JTA.
Some benefits of participating in my certification class
- Take the mystery out of the process
- Get feedback on your temari and inspiration for future stitching
- Have a JTA certified temari teacher look over your work before sending it off to Japan
- Optional: join a Yahoo group set up for your level of study. Tradition in Japan is that the "group" is all important! Even though group participation is available to everyone, it is optional. Your class is just for you as an individual and all evaluations and applications are done on a personal basis. You and I will exchange emails about your work and feedback from me will not go out to the group. I respect your privacy.
- Level 2 prepares you for writing your own patterns concisely with correct terminology for use in your temari journal and to share with others.
- Earn a certificate that has meaning. You can be very proud to have your work recognized by the Japan Temari Association. Earning the certificate helps ensure the continuation of the craft in the most positive way.
- Challenge yourself and learn!
Note that I do not supply patterns for you to follow. It is up to you to create temari that fulfil the requirements. Original work is not required for Level 1 and 2 so you may use patterns from books, other classes, or websites. However, for Level 2, the text of the directions has to be your own writing, not copied from any other source.
Note also that I require a signed contract between us so I am certain you know our respective responsibilities for the class.
Level 1 (Honka or Introductory)
Level 1 class begins with reading the text which includes a section on help and suggestions, a self-evalutation, and a sample submission (my own from 2006). We continue with my evaluation of photos of thirty of your temari. These thirty can be old temari or new temari. They should be mostly simple division designs and you should use the stitches required for Level 1 on some of them. The four temari that you submit to JTA can be a part of these thirty. This is your chance to get feedback on your temari stitching and learn where you might need improvement. I’ll also make suggestions for further study by finding designs that you may not have tried. Please don’t feel that all thirty have to be perfectly stitched. These are for evaluation purposes only (not a test) and I would expect to see some temari where you experimented and learned how to improve.
Optional evaluation: if you would like for me to evaluate your temari in person as well as looking at photographs online, you can mail them to me. See contract for details.
Complete the Level 1 class by putting photos of the four required temari together on a page and sending it to me by email. My job is to send it to Ai along with payment in yen for your JTA membership dues, translation fee, and your fee for the Level 1 exam. The exam is in late June, 2012, and the JTA will issue certificates in August, 2012. After Ai sends these to me, I will forward it to you along with your membership card.
Contract for Level 1. (Class closed for 2012)
Level 2 (Koutouka or Advanced)
Level 2 class is much more involved because you will need to write directions for stitching six temari. The class text contains these sections:
- Help and Suggestions on marking and stitching on a C8 and C10 division. Also included is help with writing patterns and tips for how to simplify the wording for translation into Japanese.
- Photography Tips
- Self-evaluation
- Forms that can be used for writing the patterns. Fill in the blanks. Add your photo and diagrams. Blanks of C8 and C10 divisions as well as pages of shapes (triangles, diamonds, squares and pentagons) can be copied by you for use in your patterns.
- Glossary of JTA approved temari terms. This is my complete glossary which includes kanji, hiragana and katakana. It is full of diagrams showing the stitches. You can use this glossary to write your patterns.
- Sample Submission - See one of the designs I submitted in 2006.
The Level 2 class also contains an evaluation of photos of your temari. Show me twenty temari, old or new, (ten C8 and ten C10) and I’ll be able to critique your work and help you with improvement. This group of twenty may contain the six temari you have chosen to submit to the JTA for certification judging. Once again, all twenty do not have to be perfectly stitched! I realize that we all go through a learning process when tackling new designs. The optional (in person) evaluation is also available for this level if you would like to send your temari to me.
After you finish writing each pattern, email it to me. I will review them and forward them to our translator. She would like to have the patterns sent to her one by one as soon as you are done with each. This gives her time to work on the translations over the months. You benefit from this since you’ll learn something new each time you send me a pattern. Practicing writing always makes it better and easier next time. By the time you are done, you’ll be a pro!
Our translator will send all six of your pattern translations and the photographs to the judges along with payment for your membership dues and fee for the exam. The judging is held in late June, 2012. She will send the certificates to me in August, 2012, and I will forward them to you.
Contract for Level 2 (Class closed for 2012)
Questions? Surely, you must have questions! Send me an email barb@japanesetemari.com
This is a cover of the brochure that my husband brought back for me after his last visit to the JTA museum in Tokyo.