Wednesday, July 21, 2010

diy: juggling rag balls

rag juggling
Welcome to day 3 of the circus! Juggling under the Big Top is a must.  My mother's vintage rag balls were the inspiration for making some modern juggling balls with simple materials.
juggling rags
A little rice, an old t-shirt and a few stray socks are all you need to make your own set. They're firm, don't bounce and can be customized to the hands of the juggler!
juggle stuff
Need:
  • Old small sock (toddler size is just right)
  • Rice
  • Needle and thread
  • Scissors
  • 1-2 inch wide strips of t-shirts cut against the grain.
Make:
  1. Cut toe off sock. Fill toe with rice and sew opening shut. 
  2. Fold over excess seam allowance to create a ball.
  3. Wind strips of fabric around and around the rice ball. Keep it tight and even until it’s the size of a tangerine. It will look wonky, at first. Keep going.
  4. Tuck in the last few inches of fabric in several different spots to secure. Add  few stitches in varying spots for added durability. It's done!!
juggling balls
Make a set of at least three and learn how to juggle... an older child can master it, too!  Juggling has a long and rich history. Check out Annekata's latest post for more facts and links.
juggle 2
During these busy times, it seems like we all  have so many "balls" in the air... learning at least one way to juggle them would feel so satisfying... wink. wink.
rag balls- inspiration
A big thank you to Casey Benson for playing circus with us. More details on this amazing woman next week!
casey
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16 comments:

  1. Hurray! I finally have a good use for all those single toddler socks that I don't want to throw away. I know some kids who are getting juggling balls for birthday presents - thanks!

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  2. This is perfect for entertaining my kidlets!

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  3. These are great. What a fun tutorial.

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  4. Oh, what fun! And I just happen to have some odd toddler socks ...

    thanks for the tutorial!

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  5. my son and i will have a blast making these. thanks for such a great project.

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  6. Juggling genius! I will definitely be making some of these. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. These look so nice, we always make them with rice and balloons but these are much nicer! Cannot wait to see the other circus things you two come up with!

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  8. very wonderful ..have you made bean bags like this?

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  9. What perfect timing! We're currently brainstorming for ideas for things to make for our wedding next year, and these would make the perfect toy for entertaining the kids!

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  10. these will go over well with my boys. they look so cute in that wire basket too. good stuff.

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  11. Just love it... Can't wait to try to make them myself....

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  12. Looks like fun, thanks for sharing, I was just thinking about making these the other day with my scarp fabric

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  13. Wow!! Love these for decorating! Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Oh how pretty! I have no idea if I can still juggle or not but these would be perfect on my porch and so much fun to play with. Thanks for the great idea, I'll be linking.

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  15. These are SO cool! A great way to use my quilting fabric scraps.. I can't wait to make some. Thank you for the clear instructions and photos. : )

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  16. great idea. What fun tutorial!!!I like your blog
    sabasala.blogspot.com

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