Woo, I finally completed a project! Lately I’ve had a lot of unfinished projects. This weekend I sat down and made the puzzle ball from Last Minute Patchwork+Quilted Gifts.
I have no clue what the fabrics are. The purple fabric was a fat quarter that my cousin sent me. The white fabric is from JoAnn’s. I used the wrong side (the side the design is printed on) so that the paisley print pops a little more. Well, that’s what I call the wrong side.
The wedges were pretty easy to make, but I think I overstuffed a few so some parts of the ball seem a little…plump. I used a teal colored embroidery thread to attach all the pieces. I had a really hard time with the instructions on how to assemble the pieces together. Every time I tried to sew the four points together, it would look terrible and messy. I’d proceed to rip it apart and then I’d hear Dickson’s voice next to me…”how is this a puzzle ball??”
Finally after many “how is this a puzzle ball” statements from Dickson I decided to search around on how to actually make the ball a puzzle ball. And how to make it easier for me to assemble. So here’s a brief step by step.
First, group your pieces into three groups of four:
You’re going to sew the four pieces into circles, as pictured above. Here’s a closeup of each sew together point:
Don’t pull the thread too tight, but don’t make it too loose that it seems loopy.
You’ll still want to either pop the knot to the inside of the wedge. Or, you’ll want to use the knot-less start. Have the needle come out about 1/4″ from the point (in the purple fabric in this case) of Wedge 1. Go across to Wedge 2 and insert the needle into the wedge. Then the neele should come out of the point of Wedge 2 and then into the point of Wedge 1. Then come back out from where you started in Wedge 1, completing a loop. Loop around three or four times for strength. Bury your knot at the end. Repeat with the other wedge pieces until you have completed all 3 circles.
Assemble and enjoy.
And, since it’s been awhile since Paisley has had some blog time, here she is, reminding us that we all need a little rest and relaxation 
July 7, 2009 at 5:44 pm |
I’ve been way too scared to make this! It looks so complicated in the book. Yours looks great though. Thanks for stopping by and linking, -Allison
July 7, 2009 at 10:21 pm |
It’s actually a really forgiving pattern. If you use the 1/4″ foot it’s probably even easier. I didn’t, so some of my pieces are tad bigger (and there for a bit plumper), but it all fits together nicely. I didn’t like the book’s instructions on how to sew the pieces together though. When I finally gave up and figured out my own way, it went a lot smoother.