GOOOAAAL!!! Did you know that regulation FIFA soccer balls are made up of 32 panels (20 hexagons and 12 pentagons) and held together with 720 stitches? As I root for the various teams battling it out in South Africa, I decided to give myself a challenge at home: to create a softie football. (So I have something to squeeze during penalty kicks and toss around when the good guys score!) And while mine isn’t regulation size (it’s about 6″ in diameter with a 19″ circumference) and perhaps a little lopsided, it’s perfect for tossing around while you’re watching from the couch.
Materials:
2 T-shirt (L) sleeves in color 1
1 T-shirt (L) sleeve in color 2
scissors
needle and thread
access to a photo copy machine
printed paper pattern
stuffing
Make it:
1. Print and enlarge the paper pattern. (Increase to 150% to 200% on the photocopy machine.)
2. Use the pattern pieces to cut 20 hexagons from color 1 and 12 pentagons from color 2.
3. Follow the pattern, stitching pentagons and hexagons, with right sides together.
4. Stitch the panel together to create a spherical shape, leaving one seam open.
5. Turn the shape right side out and stuff it through the open seam.
6. Sew the hole closed with a slipstitch, keeping the stitches concealed. Done!
And if you don’t have the patience to stitch your own, check out the balls by Lara Newsom at Handmade Pretties who fashions soccer and basketballs out of scrap jersey, fleece, and sweater material. Accordingly, she has an “undying devotion to recycling and deconstruction”–just check out her sweater and jersey skirts, not to mention the personalized play balls–there are giant ones, too, as seen in ReadyMade!
And don’t forget, long after the matches have ended, the cheers have died down, and the sound of the vuvuzelas have faded, you can still practice in the off-season–no need to wait for the next World Cup!
[ Posted on June 27th, 2010 ]
