Something old is new again in a different way and more decorative way. These are styrofoam balls carved with a design to resemble a quilt block. What is neat about them is that they don't have to be Christmas. They can be out anytime, in a basket or just hanging somewhere.
The technique is called, Kimekomi and is a Japanese craft from around the first half of the 18th century. The original items were carved in wood and then the fabric was pushed into the grooves. You can do a search on the web and read about it.
I started with a book and read it twice lol. Here is a small tut of how it goes together. First you divided the ball into section according to instructions. Then you trace two or three shapes between the sections. Then you cut into the lines, 1/2 inch deep.
You can read more and see a couple more balls on my blog. The book is called, Kimekomi. If any of you would like to see a live demo, I will be doing that at the Sewing Studio oh July 16 in Maitland Florida.
This is a 4 inch styro ball, the pattern trace on and then cut 1/2 inch deep.
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Here are the first two rows.
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the ball all done and it looks like a quilt patch.
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A side view of all the patches on the ball.
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