This little fabric ball is made from scraps of fabric leftover from old projects. It is the perfect size for little babies to grab and can be made out of bright colors to capture their interest. It takes about a quarter of a yard, total, and you will probably want to make it from two different contrasting colors.
First, make the template from thin cardboard (an old cereal box is perfect). Use a protractor to make a semi circle with a radius of 3 inches. Cut it out and trace it onto another piece of cardboard. From this, use the protractor to make a petal shape out of half of the semi circle. Cut this piece out.
Cut 12 semi-circles from fabric A and 12 petals from fabric B.
Fold the semi circles in half and make a small snip at the top of the curve, at the midpoint. Unfold.
Place one semi circle and one petal together as shown, right sides together.
Now, using 1/4 inch seams, sew along the outer left curve, stopping when you reach the top midpoint (where you snipped).
Stop with the needle still down, lift the presser foot, and fold the semi circle on itself, lining up the right side of the petal with the right side of the curve (see photo). Stitch down this side.
Trim the corners as needed and turn the petal right side out. Stuff firmly with polyfil, and if desired, a jingle bell. Turn the raw edges inside and slip stitch the petal closed. Repeat to make 12 petals.
Hand sew three petals together on the straight edges to make a cluster. Make four clusters.
Tuck two cluster together so that four petals come together at a point. Hand sew along the straight edges and add another cluster to make the ball (it is a bit like putting together a puzzle, but not too hard to figure out what goes where). When adding the fourth cluster, you will not be able to reach the straight edges and thus can just tack together at the petal points.
Enjoy!
