Rag Ball

Sunday morning I stayed home with Rowan as we've been having some hairy nights due to his ever entering teeth and I wanted to be sure he got a full morning nap. While he was sleeping I cut up some old baby blankets and flannel sheets to make some new cloth diapers. We've been mostly using two infant pre-folds at a time as we only have a few of the larger size. I roughly followed the diaper instructions in Handmade Home, though I have yet to sew them together.

Anyway, when Rowan woke up I had the left-over strips of sheet on the ground, knowing he would enjoy playing with them. As we sat there I began to absentmindedly wrap them into a ball. Then, remembering the rag balls I've seen used in Latin American street football, I realized it had potential.

To make a rag ball you need strips of fabric (I used flannel and cotton knit), some embroidery floss (I used whatever was laying unused on the top of my embroidery basket - thus the rainbow of colors) and a bent tapestry needle. Wrap strips tightly until it is the size you want ending with a folded strip (I used the wide hem I had cut from the sheets.) Sew along all the edges on the top once it is wound tightly.

The finished product is a very firm, heavy duty little ball. It really does feel quite nice and with a few more layers it would be a great football (american translation: soccer ball).