Yes, after many years I have FINALLY completed one of my New Year's resolutions. This has nothing to do with crochet (register astonishment here), but it was a Martha Stewart Christmas craft project from at least 2008, if not before. Yes, I am talking about none other than Fabric Balls!
Many moons ago Martha Stewart would have a half-hour craft show in the afternoon, and I loved it! (Some people do yoga, some meditate; I watch Martha.) I saw the program showing how to do the fabric balls and I was hooked. So I went out and bought the styrofoam balls - smooth ones are best, fabric - stretchy works best, and wonderfully elaborate ribbon. Then I became distracted with life...for a long time. However, I lovingly packed up the materials and promised myself I'd get to them some day.
My husband and I don't give presents to extended family, but I began making ornaments to give away. A couple years ago I made one of Oombawka Design's angels (free pattern here), and last year I made crochet baubles (free pattern here). But this year I steeled my determination and tackled the fabric balls.
Of course it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be. The main issue was that the template to cut out the fabric didn't print out to the correct size, so there was quite a bit of adjustment to do. If you read the comments you'll find I wasn't the only one with this problem. The second issue was what to cover the ribbon ends with. I chose to order end caps and then flattened them with a hammer - you need at least 14 to 15 mm to cover and mine were a little small; or you could follow the suggestions given on the website.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with how these turned out - I just hope the people receiving them feel the same way!
My husband and I don't give presents to extended family, but I began making ornaments to give away. A couple years ago I made one of Oombawka Design's angels (free pattern here), and last year I made crochet baubles (free pattern here). But this year I steeled my determination and tackled the fabric balls.
Of course it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be. The main issue was that the template to cut out the fabric didn't print out to the correct size, so there was quite a bit of adjustment to do. If you read the comments you'll find I wasn't the only one with this problem. The second issue was what to cover the ribbon ends with. I chose to order end caps and then flattened them with a hammer - you need at least 14 to 15 mm to cover and mine were a little small; or you could follow the suggestions given on the website.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with how these turned out - I just hope the people receiving them feel the same way!
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