Hello people, and happy holidays! This time around we’re
going to be making some delightful Christmas balls. I was joined by my good
friend Margot Potter the Impatient Crafter. She and I put this idea together.
Here’s how you make them:
You’ll need:
Styrofoam balls
4 way stretch velvet
Straight pins
Small artificial flowers
Various embellishments – sequins, beads, jeweled picks and
sprays, etc.
1/4” wide ribbon
Begin by wrapping the velvet snuggly around your ball and
gathering it into your hand, and then cut the excess away, close to the ball.
Pin one side of the velvet into the ball, then, stretching it tightly around,
pin into the opposite side. Repeat the process until you’ve gotten all the
loose fabric pinned down. Pin into virgin Styrofoam as much as possible and
stretch the velvet as tightly as you can around the ball. The goal is to take
advantage of the four way stretch and keep the gathers at the top as few as
possible. As you get more velvet pinned in you’ll have to start to overlap it.
You can cut away excess and stretch the folds up to make a smooth top.
Once you’ve covered your ball in velvet you can start to
embellish it. The artificial flowers will camouflage the gathers. Cut the stems
to about an inch and a half and poke an awl or other small pointy tool through
the velvet into the Styrofoam to create a pilot hole, then stick the flower in
place. Once you’ve created a tuft of flowers over the gathers you can start to
dress the ball with sequins, beads, jeweled picks and sprays and other decorative
elements you may have found.
The hanging strap can be put in either the center of the
tuft of flowers or on the opposite side of the ball. Wherever it is placed, it
should be anchored firmly with two pins placed pointing in opposite directions,
to keep it from being easily pulled out.
This craft is a fun diversion for pre-holiday afternoons and
the resulting ornaments are very pretty.
I’m in the process of looking at new apartments, trying to
find a new place to live. To that end I’m starting to purge my various
collections. Right now I have lots of vintage sewing patterns from the 50’s,
60’s and 70’s available on my Etsy
page. Be sure and have a look if you like to sew, and keep an eye peeled
for future sales.
I hope everyone has a delightful holiday season!
