here is the simplified version of how i put my whimsie balls together......first a few concerns. if you are making these for childrens toys--it should go w/o saying but you can never be too careful---THINK about the fabrics you are using and think about what stuffing would be the SAFE-ST for a child who usually put things in their mouths!!!!!!!! another concern is that there are 36 pieces in ONE whimsie ball & a portion of it is HAND sewing. don't let this deter you from making these!!! if you have any questions, ASK!
this is what we are looking for, a wedge/orange peel sort of, shown in BLUE
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you need a circle to start, anything round will do if you don't have a compass
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trace circle & divide into 4 sections
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one section is the pattern; think of it as a fan
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cut one of your "fans" out, flip it over to trace the second edge to make your blue "wedge"
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you will have two pieces, a fan section and a wedge section
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sew the wedge section to the top of one of the fan sections
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sew the wedge to the other section [along the curved edge]
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your section should now be sewn together and have 2 fan sections & a top [sewn to both bottom sections along the curve]
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you need two fan sections & one wedge to make one of twelve sections to make the whimsie ball
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now it's time to sew bottoms together. the arrows designate direction for sewing. pivot around the corner, back tack and leave a space for turning. the next step would be to take your fabric out & start at the opposite end & sew toward the open space & back tack. Make sure you leave enough space to be able to turn the entire ball right side out!
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the scissors are pointing to the starting point which is most important--you don't want to catch the top fabric in your seam
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