Materials

For each juggle ball you will need:

Four strips of fabric 2" x 5"

These can be four different colors, all the same color, anything you want

Four strips of fusible interfacing 2" x 5"

Fusible interfacing will make the ball more sturdy and less likely to fall apart. It comes in variety of thicknesses, depending on how stiff and how much you want your balls to keep the cube like shape. I like the stuff that is for "sheer to light weight fabrics" because the balls are still soft and comfortable in my hands.

NOTE: Alternative size: 1 7/8" x 4 5/8"

This has been our favorite lately. You still do everything with a 1/4" seam allowance. While the 2" x 5" has inner squares at 1 1/2" (as shown in step 2), the alternative size has inner squares of 1 3/8".

Filling

You can use just about anything for filling. You want your balls relatively heavy because it is easier to throw them more accurately. I like flax seed, which can be found in the bulk section of most grocery stores, but I try to avoid getting my juggle balls wet.

Some other random tips:

Don't get to hung up on perfection. Sometimes the lines just won't line up perfectly, fudge it if necessary. At the same time, the more exact you are about everything, the better it will line up.
Iron every seam. Also known as "melding". It locks your seams, but it's not a big deal if you don't do it.

now proceed to the first step »