What?...That is exactly what I said when I was asked to make them!

A lady I work with is the local Pastors wife and she is going to India to teach ect, she asked me to make these cotton ballon balls to take with her to hand out to the children. The idea is like a beach ball, 6 oblong sides and a circle for the top and bottom, one circle with a slit to put the balloon in and then when you blow up the balloon, the kids use it like a ball. The casing is flat and travels well. She plans on taking the heavier ballons like the ones used for helium.

My question is: will it be to light? Would I be better to sandwich and quilt the peices then join them to give the balloon casing some weight? Is there anyone who has made these? Here is some pics to help you see what I am talking about:

What an interesting idea.

Neat idea. I would like to pass this idea along to some people at my church, who go on mission trips.

is she using like the Punch ball type balloon/ that looks like a really good idea?

I would not make them more than one layer of fabric, or they'll be too heavy to bat around. Just make lots of them!

How clever.

Sorry, don't know the answer to your question. We have a group of members who go to India about once a year to do missionary work. I also would like to pass on this idea.

Cute idea. The kids will love them.

Why not make one of each and let some kids play with both. See how they work.

I will try to make them both ways, the ballons are just a heavier rubber than the general ones. You can definatly pass this on, I thought it was a great idea and super for carring in the luggage. I may even make some for the GK to store in the RV. I only have a 9 days to make as many as I can, the lady who was going to make them had an emergency come up. I guess I can play with them to test out the weight! Thank you all for your replies!!!

That's clever, bet the kids love them!

Let us know how they work out, please.

My sister makes them. She only uses one thickness. When the balloon pops you can take it out and put in another one. I think they are neat.

Neat! We have a bouncy ready-made ball with something similar on the outside that is a lightweight, felt-like brushed fabric.

How neat!!! My SIL is returning to Africa in November with her church mission group, maybe I can make some for her to take. Would you be willing to share the templates, if possible?

thats so cool.

I had never heard of such a thing... but here's a tutorial to make one without the round circles on the end.. http://madquilter.blogspot.com/2010/...l-balloon.html

How do you get the balloon inside and out? Is there a spot that you unsew or is there a spot that just isn't sewn so you can put the balloon in and out of it?

She has a buttonhole on one end, you insert the balloon and inflate it.

Thanks for the link - that will work for me!

Thanks! I don't know how I totally missed that part.
I am planning on making some for my boys I think. They're a bit older but I know they will love these!

I would love to share the templates if I knew how, if the link works, that is great, if not, let me know and i will work on uploading a pdf. Thanks all.

These are fantastic! I couldn't believe the change a little cotton cover makes to a balloon! You really can bounce it and throw it just like a ball! The circles on the end are very slow to sew on, so I have 25 ready to go, hopefully it's enough!

I made some out of single layers of fabric, they worked just fine. If they need to be a little tougher, you could use nylon fabric. They are a lot of fun and last for a long time.