I recently saw an article on "Temari," a Japanese technique that involves decoratively wrapping silk scraps or stitching threads onto a ball form to create an intricately colorful globe. The images intrigued me, so I started looking for more links online. It looks like there are Temari displays in a lot of Asian museums, but I had some trouble in finding a museum link about Temari. So here are some links to some websites by Temari enthusiasts.
Temari were originally used in games, but over time they evolved into an artform made by noblewomen and from there into a traditional New Year's gift from a mother to a daughter, as a symbol of the mother's best wishes. Some even contain bells or secret messages.
Here's a link to the first article I read. It includes some of the history of Temari as well as some amazing close-up shots of NanaAkua's work. She is a 92-year old lady who learned Temari in her 60's. The photographs are by her granddaughter.
If you would like to see more of NanaAkua's work, here is a link to NanaAkua's Flikr account.
Here is a great PDF Tutorial on how to start a simple Temari piece, with step-by-step images.
For those who would enjoy learning more about the History of Temari, I also found this site, which is devoted to Temari. It also provides some images and a more detailed How-To Instruction section for if you would like to try making some yourself.
