Some general info first -
        The dividing of the ball is done by using a thin strip of paper. You may either cut these yourself, or purchase quilling paper (already-cut thin strips). If cutting your own, attention must be paid to them being straight and even. This is most easily attained with a rotary cutter or a standard paper cutter. Something like a standard copy paper is fine. The strips should be about an eighth of an inch wide - and this can be kind of difficult to cut evenly. Thus, quilling paper provides the advantage of being straight and true - and also being longer. The eleven inch dimension of regular paper will work for most balls but if you do expand into larger ones you will need the extra length of quilling paper.

        The strip is pinned to the ball at a place that becomes the north pole. It's wrapped around the ball on true dimension to determine the circumference and cut to this length. From here the strip will be folded into half, quarters, thirds, fifths, etc. to mark the divisions on the ball. As these divisions are located on the strip by the folds, tiny notches are cut on the folds. Be careful not to make these notches too large so that the strip becomes unstable (it's important to keep it straight as you use it) - or falls apart. The strip is vital to marking divisions and placements on the ball as you progress through the embroidering, and each strip is unique to that ball. Take care of it after the initial marking of the ball - don't discard it until you are completely through with this ball as some designs will call for further marking using it as you proceed.

        If as you are placing the south pole pin, you discover that it is requiring a constant adjustment with each check of the measuring strip, this could be a good indication that your ball is quite off-round. A round ball will average out its poles fairly quickly - usually within about five checks and adjustments. My experience is to give it up - unravel the ball and reuse the thread, but to continue trying to divide and out of round ball will only produce frustration, especially if the division if a complex eight or pentagon.

        After the ball is divided with pins the marking thread - usually metallic - is applied. This thread is routed around the pins placed from the marking strip. Be sure to use enough tension to keep the threads straight but don't pull the pins out of alignment. As you place the marking threads, lay the thread purposely from pin to pin, in straight lines. After all of the marking threads are in place adjust them for evenness (using angle templates may help) and then tack the major intersections. Don't remove the divider pins until the tacking has been completed - things tend to shift and the pins are the true points. The issue of the divisions being even is crucial - if not accurate the design will not be even around the ball.

2/05 - From LInda W - when placing pins around the obi to mark, use a pearl-headed or other "different" pin to let you know your starting point.

11/04 - From Deb T. - We've had the tip of making paper strips by running paper through a paper shredder before, but Deb T. took it a step further. She added stickon laminating to the paper before running it through the shredder so that she had more durable, non-tear, reusable strips. Deb uses a white-board marker to place her measurement marks so they wipe off when done. The strips are bendable and pliable yet strong.

07/04 - From Terry B - Most books suggest tacking ( the intersections of the marking threads) with the marking thread.  I prefer to use the same thread as your wrapping thread.  The three benefits being that it is less expensive to use sewing thread, you can cross distances on top rather than burying it and (normally) does not show as much as when you use the marking.

02/2004 From Terry B: Did you know that you can do all your marking with one marking thread? Another one of my shortcuts (if I can describe it). On marking, I was taught to do the north-south wraps and finish. Then start another to do the obi wrap and finish. You can do it all in one pass: Add an additional wrap to your north-south count. Start at the North pole as usual.  Go from the north pole to the first obi pin (1/4 of a full wrap).  There take a sharp left (or right) and do your complete obi wrap, ending where you took the first turn (a complete obi).  Then take a sharp right (or left) to head towards the south pole pin and do the 3/4 wrap of your start.  When you get back to the North pole, just do your regular north - south wraps. And, ta da, all wraps and an obi with one length of thread. This method, at the "turn" pin, does create two right angle "L"s around that pin, but after tacking and doing your design, I haven't met a design so far where I could pick it out.  It may not work for a Temari master work, but it saves time on your regular work. And - If your obi is part of the pattern (ie should lie on top of the north- south wraps) just wait to do the turn step on the last north south wrap instead of the first.  Works the same.

01/04 - For my last number of balls requiring tacking of crossed marking threads, rather than use the marking threads themselves to do the tacking I just use one (or a double) of the final mari thread to do the tacking.  These are much less visible and are strong enough to resist any movement of the marking thread. --Terry B. (webmaster's note - this would also be more cost effective than using more marking thread if you are using more expensive metallics; and for the record I tack all of my marking thread intersections)

04/03 - Make marking strips out of paper rulers to make life easy... use this free download (the link takes you to the progam author's website) to print your own     http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/paper_rulers/

8/20/01 - From Doris - I recently tried something different with paper markers. After finding a flat plastic ruller with inches on one edge and centimeters on the other edge copied it on copy machine, put contact paper on the back and cut the two edges off--it can be used on a ball, bent and written on--very sturdy--can be used over & over. The strips could be added to kits and teachers could give them to students .I also did the same thing with graph paper--leaving a little tail so the size of the ball and division could be written on it.

8/20/01 - From Sue - Couldn't resist sharing with all our newbies some details of Japanese crafts. We all spend hours pinning and marking, and wondering if there couldn't be an easier way to deal with it all... but from experience and observation, the answer is NO...   Maybe it is part of the "suffering" that Japanese seem to feel so obligated to do as part of their finer crafts... (sort of the Puritanical Ethic - if it's fun, it can't be good!)  Up in Nikko, Japan, there is a vast compound of elaborate buildings belonging to several shrines and temples dedicated to Tokugowa Ieyasu.  (Above the stable of the main shrine is the famous Hear-no-evil, See-no-evil, Speak-no-evil monkeys.)  http://jin.jcic.or.jp/atlas/architecture/arc04.html       http://users.skynet.be/chiryaku/nikko2.htm
http://www.primenet.com/~agore/japan/   (this one has a series of photo pages, look for the word "Nikko" in the heading)  There is a museum nearby that explains much of the detail that went into the construction of the various buildings.  Many of the paints used throughout the buildings are created from crushed jewels.  Among the wonders that are detailed include panels depicting the number of layers of paint, laquers, gold leaf, etc. used for each wall and ceiling panel.  Most all of the spectacular inside work took 32 or more layers before completion.   If you can imagine a "neighborhood" of more than a dozen incredibly elaborate buildings, each containing many "rooms", where every wall, and ceiling panel is covered in detailed filigree-like designs and pictures... and ALL with 32 layers of "stuff" on them!!!!     Hmmm, makes the hour or so of marking time for a temari seem pretty low-key!

8/20/01 - from Ryan - for those that use paper strips for dividing and marking, another alternative for the strip is to save the Tyvek envelopes you might get in the mail (the almost indestructible ones, like Priority Mail, or the green and white ones), and cut marking strips from these: I  used Tyvek paper.  It's the plastic/paper that Priority Mail envelopes are made of - as well as those green and white ones. One envelope will make 80 or more strips depending on the size of your mari..  The pin hole does not tear out or become enlarged as you work.  It is thinner and more pliable than most paper so the folding and nothing can be more accurate. It's printed on one side, so if you are working a design with an even number of divisions, you can notch one side and then turn it to the printed side to notch the opposite side od the strip for your secondary markings, such as thirds from the pole, etc. About cutting the strips... Tyvek ain't Tyvek for nothing - it is meant to be very strong. Most paper cutters will not handle it, so that tip for Tyvek goes out the window... but, try a rotary cutter. They have guides on them which help on gettting straight strips..... And an addendum from Kathy H - even if you usually use regular paper strips, keep a few Tyveks around for when you are doing a larger ball and need the longer strip.

8/20/01 - From Lucile - Tyvek is housewrap also - about any builder will have HUGE ( compared to an envelope ) scraps laying around for the asking.

8/20/01 -About marking the temari....I personally don't pin my strip at the North Pole.  Instead, I just hold the end of the strip at the edge of the N Pole pin and wrap it around to the other side where I fold and then cut. I've never had trouble with this method and it may eliminate some of the confusion because the strip & the ball's circumference are the same (hopefully!).  It's also easier for me because I don't have to keep pinning the strip when I'm double checking the measurements.  Sometimes, when I'm measuring and pinning an obi with many divisions, I secure the strip with a pin at one end. Kathy 

8/16/01 - This is what works for me.  I pin the paper strip to the ball  then take the pin back out (so I have a pin hole), then wrap the strip around the ball adjusting so that I'm comfortable that I've found the circumference (or widest part).  The end of the strip with the pin hole should overlap (on top) the other end.  Then stick the pin through the pin hole and down through the other end of the strip so that the paper strip is now snug around the widest part of the ball.  This way the strip will be the circumference of the ball between the two pin holes.  You can then take this back off the ball and fold it exactly in half by putting the pin back through the two pin holes and then pin this back to the ball to find the south pole.  Hope this is clearer than mud!!!!   Pat

7/20/01 - From Carol Ann - My 7 yr old showed me an easy way to make sure my obi is straight....once you have the north and south poles found do your obi markings...then take the north and south pole pins and place them on your thumb and middle finger and give the ball a twirl.....if your obi is straight your obi pins will go evenly around as it is twirled if not you obi pins will look wavy as they spin around....then you will either know that you obi needs to be remarked or you north and south poles are off......better to check at this point then to go forward with more markings and then find out that you're off 'somewhere'.....that is pure frustration and aggravation!!  (webmaster's note - be sure that your pins are in very straight on the poles or your spin will be off)....

The Discussion Group pondered marking strips again.... if you cut notches to mark the strip, be sure that they are small/narrow and that you place the pin on the ball in the middle of the notch opening without pulling the strip out of straight because of it giving against the notch. Others avoid the notch problem by placing only a slit on the strip, or by marking the strip at the folds with a pencil to avoid cutting all together.

Making strips is very easy if you use graph paper, and even more so if you use metric graph paper in mm or cm (you'll find that doing C10 balls marking is much easier in metric measurements), you can often complete accurate divisions by using the paper markings rather than having to measure. Metric graph paper can be purchased at better art/drafting supply places, or you can print you own using online downloads ....(such as Graph Paper Printer. )

Another tip for making marking tapes - run a sheet of paper through a paper shredder - instant strips! (tip emailed to the webmaster).

6/23/99: I find the method used by Mary Woods in her book for dividing a pentagon ball to be a bit easier than the one in the VanderVoort books, at least after you've done one Diana's way so that you have the gist of it...  but, Diana mentions adding 1/100 of the ball circumference to the third divisions on the ten polar lines as you place the pins to mark the pentagons. This adjustment can also be used with Wood's method (both are the same actually - just differ in their presentation) and seems to be THE clue in getting even pentagon divisions. For a three or four inch ball this averages out  to be about 2 to 2.5 millimeters.... it may seem to be not worth worrying about - but trust me, it makes all the difference in coming up with even divisions (without it the polar pentagons seem to turn up smaller than the ones on the faces of the ball...) thanks to Judy Shorten for reminding me to post this.....

Phyllis of Lincoln, Nebraska - offered the thought of using thin ribbon as a marking strip rather than cutting paper strips. Using the thin curling-paper type would be inexpensive and is conveniently the right width, even and straight - light color on dark wrapped balls and vice versa would help too.