Christmas Eve day. I needed one last gift. A handmade one. A puzzle ball! (Patchwork Puzzle Balls, by Jinny Beyer.) I've made a few of these little (and not so little) gems, and each one has been entrancing. So, I dug through my stash and pulled out a bunch of fabrics that I'm highly unlikely to use in a quilt but that are perfect for fancy puzzle balls.
The puzzle ball I chose has pentagons separated by triangles (final size of ball: 4-3/4 inches in diameter). Contrast between the pentagons is not necessary. A good thing, since my fancy fabric stash is limited. Here are the pieces. Well.....not exactly, since--oops--I cut these triangles too small. 
Sewing well went, though! Not too many set in pieces, so I was able to machine stitch most of the seams. Lots of stuffing later (I used poly, not cotton), I had this:
This next photo shows the final hand-sewn seam to close up the ball (right and lower right). That one is really hard to sew.
One small warning: Despite Jinny's breezy assurances about how easy puzzle balls are to make, they do need precise cutting and piecing, plus plenty of unhurried time for fabric choosing and construction. This one took between 5 and 6 hours. 
2 comments:
I love the colours on this. Beautiful. I can see it would be complicated and, yes, very precise which doesn't really fit into a liberated quilter's modus operandi LOL!
Hi, Meg,
I found it so interesting that you are working on the balls. I am, too. I think they are a little tedious to put together, but really like the results. Maybe I'll get a head start on some presents for next year. I plan to put some beads on mine, and maybe some paint, too. I guess that is the liberating part! You can see a few of my results at kathyeplace.blogspot.com\
Kathy E
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