We have a project that is a little bit different for you. Today on Happiest Camper, we are going to show you How To Sew A Ball With Free Pattern! Sewing a ball is a great way to make use of fabric scraps. You can also create them with your favorite fabrics, or choose novelty prints for kids! And, this is absolutely a beginner sewist project that is so easy, that you can make it in an hour or less! But, if you wanted to spice it up for the more advanced sewist, that can easily be done with fun stitches and a little extra twist here and there. I’ll just hit all the basics, of course, but if you want to add anything (a tassel, fancy stitching, etc.), that’s absolutely up to you – it’s your ball project after all! But, I will say that you are going to get addicted to making these fun little fabric balls. They’re simple and fast, and the ideas for using them are endless. They’re more than just a kid’s toy; they would make great basket fillers or a fun addition to the throw pillows on your couch. You could even make several in varying sizes and colors to make a solar system with the kids!

I will however note that this fabric ball is a really fun ball for very little ones to play with. Because it’s soft, they can smoosh it, smash it, and roll it anywhere they might like without fearing that it might bounce off something else and bounce back into their face, hurting them. So if you have little bitty kids that maybe aren’t walking but would love to play with a ball, this is the one for them. So, grab your scrap fabric, and let’s get making!

What You’ll Need:

To make this sewn ball, you’re going to need about 1/4 yard cotton fabric or duck cloth in a fun pattern and some matching or contrasting thread. You’ll also want Poly-Fil or some other stuffing, like additional scrap fabric. Oh, and the tools? Yeah, you’re going to want: a pair of sharp scissors, a sewing machine, pins and needle & the printable pattern. I used a sewing machine because I already had it out for another project. But you could sew this by hand very easily.

How To Sew A Ball With Free Pattern

The first step in this how to sew a ball with free pattern tutorial is to wash, dry, and iron your fabric. This will act as a preshrink so that your stitches don’t get messed up the first time you wash it. Once you have done that, use the included free pattern to cut out your fabric. Wanting to sew this in a smaller size or a bigger size? Then check out our post on How to Scale a pattern up and down.

You should have 6 pieces.

On the wrong side of each panel, mark the location noted on the pattern on each end of the shape. This is the location where you will stop your hem initially when assembling the panels, then when you’re finalizing the ball, you’ll use this mark to note where you sew the ends together.

Working with 3 of the 6 panels (so set 3 aside for the time being), pin the first two panels right-side to right-side along one long side of the two panels.

Then, gently open the two pinned panels and align the third panel along the un-pinned edge of one of the two pinned panels, pinning the third panel in place right-side to right-side.

Now on this how to sew a ball with free pattern tutorial, it’s time to sew. Starting at the “x” marked location and ending at the same, sew along the hemline of both pinned edges, taking care to backstitch at both the beginning and end of each hemline. Make sure to move the extra panel out of the way while you’re hemming so that you don’t inadvertently sew it where not intended. Set aside.

Repeat pinning and sewing together the remaining 3 panels. When finished, you should have two sets of panel trios sewn together side-by-side, forming two separate halves of your ball.

Next on this how to sew a ball with free pattern tutorial, open both sets of sewn panel trios and place them together right-side to right-side. They will not lay down neatly, however, this is intentional.

Mark a 2-4 inch wide opening on one side to leave open when sewing so you can turn the ball right side out and stuff it.

Pin the two unsewn edges together then sew along the hemline of both pinned edges, taking care to backstitch at both the beginning and ending of each hemline. Take care to leave the opening you marked in the previous step.

While the ball is still wrong-side out, sew across the combined tips of both ends of the ball, where the “x” was marked.

Turn the ball right side out. Stuff the ball with enough Poly-Fil (or other stuffing) that the ball regains its shape when smooshed in your hand.

Fold the two raw edges of the open section of the ball inward and hand-stitch this open section of the ball closed using a needle and thread.

Your ball is complete! This is just such a fun and easy project, I can’t tell you how excited I am to have made it. I think I could make a dozen different size balls for all sorts of fun reasons. In addition to making a great ball for the kids to play with (which is what the pattern is approximately sized for), you can easily shrink down the pattern when you print it to make small balls to fill a bowl for your entryway or make ornaments for your Christmas tree!

If you liked learning how to sew a ball with free pattern, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, make certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!

Yield: 1

How To Sew A Ball With Free Pattern

Sew this cute toy ball with this simple tutorial. Makes a fun gift for your little one!

Active Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $3.50

Materials

Tools

Instructions

Cut out 6 panels of the shape noted on the pattern from your fabric.

On the wrong side of each panel, mark the location noted on the pattern on each end of the shape. This is the location where you will stop your hem initially when assembling the panels, then when you’re finalizing the ball, you’ll use this mark to note where you sew the ends together.
Working with 3 of the 6 panels (so set 3 aside for the time being), pin the first two panels right-side to right-side along one long side of the two panels. Then, gently open the two pinned panels and align the third panel along the un-pinned edge of one of the two pinned panels, pinning the third panel in place right-side to right-side.
Starting at the “x” marked location and ending at the same, sew along the hem line of both pinned edges, taking care to backstitch at both the beginning and ending of each hem line. Make sure to move the extra panel out of the way while you’re hemming so that you don’t inadvertently sew it where not intended. Set aside.
Repeat pinning and sewing together the remaining 3 panels. When finished, you should have two sets of panel trios sewn together side-by-side, forming two separate halves of your ball.
Open both sets of sewn panel trios and place them together right-side to right-side. They will not lay down neatly, however, this is intentional. Mark a 2-4 inch wide opening on one side to leave open when sewing so you can turn the ball right side out and stuff it.
Pin the two unsewn edges together then sew along the hem line of both pinned edges, taking care to backstitch at both the beginning and ending of each hem line. Take care to leave the opening you marked in the previous step.
While the ball is still wrong-side out, sew across the combined tips of both ends of the ball, where the “x” was marked.
Turn the ball right side out.
Stuff the ball with enough Poly-Fil (or other stuffing) that the ball regains its shape when smooshed in your hand.
Fold the two raw edges of the open section of the ball inward and hand-stitch this open section of the ball closed using a needle and thread. Your ball is complete!

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How To Sew A Ball With Free Pattern

Materials

Tools

Instructions

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