Baby Ball and Cloth

I had received a gift for my daughter shortly after she was born of a 'taggies' cloth. It was a great little thing for her to play with when we were at malls and such, and I loved how it was easy to link with all those little link toys we had. She enjoyed it thoroughly. (hmm, I wonder where it went?).



I was looking around Toys R Us the other day and saw that exact same blanket (with different fabrics of course) for $25! And it is just a 12" by 12" cloth! I decided it would be smart to make my own.

I got fabric from the local thrift store, and it was nice to see so many different types there... for super cheap. Then I went to Dollarama and picked up two rolls of thicker ribbon (3/4inch to one inch works best) as I only had a few to choose from already. Then I set to work.


It really is a simple project. Cut two squares, 12.5" by 12.5", from two different fabrics. Cut out 20 ribbon pieces of differing types, about 3-4 inches long. Fold them in half, and lay on the right side of the fabric with the fold pointed towards the middle. When you cover them with the second piece of fabric (right sides together), you won't even see them anymore. Make sure the loops are facing IN. Pin them to the fabric... then get out the sewing machine.


Sew around the cloth about 1/4 inch from the edge, starting about 2-3 inches from one corner. Do so in such a way that when you've made your way around you can sew the last corner, 2-3 inches in, and still have a nice wide opening to turn your project. Make sure not to sew any of the loops of ribbon where they shouldn't be sewn! This is something to be most careful of at the corners. Remove the pins from the ribbons that are sewn in. You may have one or two ribbons that are not sewn in at all. I used the machine and sewed them just on the one piece of fabric, to make sure they were secure. Once done, turn the entire thing out through the opening. Then fold and sew that entire last edge (as close to the edge as you can). You can do the entire cloth, sewing around the edge if you' like. I didn't bother.

The jingle ball was made with the same fabrics. You can add ribbons to it too, if you like, but I didn't wish to go that far. I don't have a 'pattern', but basically you cut 6 pieces of fabric down a fold using a curved line... similar to () when done. You then sew them together... one side at a time, until all 6 pieces are sewn (right sides together, once again) Leave a gap on one of the sides up near the top (or bottom) of the ball. Turn out. Stuff partially with fiberfill, add a bell, and then finish stuffing. If you find that it looks more like a pumpkin than a ball, you'll need to turn it back inside out and sew each side again, but with a more gradual curve (in other words, you'll be following your seams near the top and bottom, but the center or rounded portion will be smaller, more like a straight line). At least, that's what I did. A little trial and error. Close the top with a hand stitch when you are finished stuffing.

I suppose I could make a pattern of sorts for the ball. Perhaps that would be a good idea. But I won't do it now. Nope. Don't feel like it. However, I did find a site that has one, if you want! Click here, at CraftIdeas.info.