Patchwork Styrofoam Ornament
When I was a little girl, I was so giddy for Christmas I could hardly sit still. I loved making things with my hands for Christmas because
a) I was a kid and had no moola
and
b) I had butterfly stomach and needed to keep busy.
I made all manner of Christmas ornaments. Here is one I enjoyed.
What You'll Need:
3.5" Styrofoam Ball(s)
Pieces of lightweight cotton fabric, cut into triangles (or other shapes with angles)
Some sort of non-marking nib... like a mechanical pencil without the lead
Paper clip
Glue
Instructions:
1. Each ornament will require one styrofoam ball and several different types of fabric. Here's the selection I chose for my ornaments:
2. Take a paperclip and jam it in one end. This will be your hanger for your ornament. When you finish "patching" your ornament, you can add a dab of glue to hold it in place.
3. Cut your fabric into differently sized shapes. The shapes that work best for this project are ones with angles.
4. Take your mechanical pencil (sans lead) and start jamming the fabric into the styrofoam ball.
Important: You'll want to aim the pencil nib 1/4" from the edge of the fabric to allow space for the fabric to go into the crevice you'll make.
5. Take the next piece of fabric and position it next to the first one. Push the fabric into a crevice where the first piece of fabric was in. Then work around the edges.
6. As you start to make white spaces, you'll find interesting shapes emerge. You'll need to cut your fabric a bit larger to fit in these new spaces. If you cut a piece too small, no worries. Cut a new one; this craft is very forgiving.
7. Little hands may need some help with the cutting part, but the pencil jamming part is fun and easy to do.
8. Add a dab of glue to the paperclip base (so it won't wiggle) and let dry. Voila! You have an ornament for Christmas. Now make twenty more. :)
The Lesson of The Patchwork World...
When we see this patchwork ball, we can remember that we aren't perfect... we're patched up into a new creation. Jesus takes our pieces and makes something beautiful.
