Fronds Sew Along Week 3: Petal Ball
It's the final week of the Fronds sew along! Fronds is a pattern unlike any other in the Suzy Quilts catalog. While we've released pattern bundles in the past, they have never had a specific focus on an occasion like the Fronds Pattern Baby Bundle. If you've made it this far, you are on your way to creating the most treasured coordinating baby shower gift!
The team at Suzy Quilts has already shared our tips for making the Fronds quilt and the coordinating baby burp cloths. Keep reading for all my best tips for making the complex-looking petal ball simple. Trust me — after reading this post, you won't be sweating the small stuff!
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Fronds Sew Along Schedule and Discounts
As a reminder, the Fronds sew along will have a different structure than previous Suzy Quilts sew alongs. While Suzy is on maternity leave with her new baby, the Suzy Quilts team will lead this sew along! For long-time Suzy Quilts fans, this won't be too new — both Laura and Sarah have led sew alongs for SQ patterns before.
This sew along will also follow the Fronds Pattern Baby Bundle structure instead of focusing only on tips for making the quilt. That means that you can participate if you're making any of the Fronds projects!
For the Fronds sew along, we will offer prizes both on Instagram AND in the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook group! Instructions for how to enter each giveaway are included at the bottom of this post.
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- Week 1, April 12: Quilt tips led by Sarah Holst
Instagram Sponsor: Crimson Tate - Ruby + Bee FQ solids bundle (Cordial colorway)
Facebook Sponsor: Sewing Arts - $75 gift card - Week 2, April 19: Burp cloth tips by Jessica Schunke
Instagram Sponsor: Aurifil - Suzy Quilts Evolve thread collection
Facebook Sponsor: Aurifil - Suzy Quilts Evolve thread collection - Week 3, April 26: Petal ball tips by Laura Hopper
Instagram Sponsor: Trace Creek Quilting - Free throw quilt edge to edge longarm quilting
Facebook Sponsor: Thai Charm Quilting & More - Free throw quilt edge to edge longarm quilting
On top of all of those incredible prizes, Fronds sew along participants can get deep discounts from some of our favorite longarmers to help you get your quilt finished! Get 25% off edge to edge longarm quilting on Fronds quilts from Trace Creek Quilting, Thai Charm Quilting & More, Jenn B Quilts, and Favorite Day Quilting through the end of June. You must mention this deal when filling out their info forms.
Babies are all different. But some things are a universal truth, and one is that all babies LOVE playing with balls. In those early days of sitting and building tiny baby core strength, batting a ball back and forth is one of the best ways for any baby to get exercise. The amazing benefits that babies get from playing simple games with balls inspired our petal ball toy.
Balls like this have been enjoyed by babies for generations and they come by many names. Our petal ball takes its name from the petal shape you'll cut as well as the ball's connection to Fronds — they both have botanical shapes!
All three projects in the Fronds Pattern Baby Bundle were designed to coordinate. That means that the templates used in the Fronds quilt are also used in the burp cloth. And the scraps created by making a Fronds quilt can also be used to make your own petal ball. Make the ball scrappy or use one fat eighth and one fat quarter to make one with a more minimal look.
At the end of this post, I share some fabric combinations that make beautiful petal balls. Don't miss it!
Tip #1: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Have you ever seen the classic 1979 Bill Murray summer camp movie Meatballs? I've seen it countless times. It was one of my mother's favorite movies and one of the few we had on VHS (hello, I'm aging myself). I haven't rewatched it as an adult so there's very little I remember about the plot of the movie.
But one thing I will never forget is the motivational speech Bill Murray gives to campers before a big competition with the rich camp across the lake. Take a look.
I tend towards perfectionism and that's not always healthy. As a child, if I started feeling stressed about something that wasn't worth worrying about, my mom would quote this speech and get me chanting, "It just doesn't matter!" while she pretended to bang a log on the floor. Pretty cool mom, huh?
Messy hand stitching? It just doesn't matter!
Ripples in your stuffed petals? It just doesn't matter!
Did you sew so far over your head that your nose bled for a week to ten days? It just doesn't matter! ...actually, I take that one back. Go to the doctor.
Trust me when I say that this project is forgiving and you absolutely do not need to sweat the small stuff. My hand stitching was messier than I like in projects where it's visible. My stuffed petals looked weird before sewing them together into a ball. In the accompanying petal ball video tutorial I recorded, I point out every time where my sewing doesn't look perfect. But the results? Always amazing.
I pointed out my less than perfect work in the video specifically because I didn't want anyone to worry about how their project looks while sewing it. It's easy to get confused or discouraged when making a three dimensional project if you're used to making quilts. But set those feelings aside and trust the process. You won't regret it!
And speaking of that video tutorial...
Tip #2: Do NOT Skip the Full Video Tutorial
Ok, ok, ok. You may see that the petal ball video tutorial is over 45 minutes and bail. It's a long tutorial to watch! But besides that I spent so long recording that tutorial so I want people to watch and enjoy, I can't emphasize enough how helpful it will be to watch the video.
Sometimes people skip the video tutorials we create (even though we know they are some of the most popular things we do!). And occasionally, people email us saying they are not able to find the video link in the pattern.
So here's where you can find the petal ball full video tutorial — look for a dark green rectangle in the lower left corner of page 2 of the petal ball pattern. There you have it!
Because of the petal ball's shape, it's very hard to take a photograph or make a diagram that shows the entire ball at certain steps. Being able to see the ball rotating and moving, especially while I'm sewing, will help you feel confident that you're on the right track.
I also highly recommend watching the video as you are making it. Pause it as many times as you want to sew or complete steps, then come back and watch the next step.
The video also has countless tips throughout, at basically every step. So the tips shared in this sew along post are more broad.
Tip #3: Stick to Cotton Fabric
I made one petal ball using linen as an experiment. How would it turn out? Would a bulkier fabric cause any issues? The answer had a little more nuance than I expected.
If you're committed to using a thick fabric, go for it. It's definitely possible to create a petal ball with a fabric like linen using all the same steps outlined in the pattern and video tutorial.
However, with a thicker fabric, you will not be able to stretch the petals when sewing them together as much as you can when sewing with cotton. All this means is you are more likely to notice the imperfections in a ball made with thicker fabric.
I personally don't mind this and of the five balls I made, my kid likes the dog ball the best. So again I say, "It just doesn't matter!" But if you feel like it does in fact matter to you too much, skip fabrics like linen or canvas and stick to the basics.
Tip #4: Use Template Plastic to Fussy Cut Cute Prints
The petal shapes used to make the petal ball are small, but it's still absolutely possible to highlight a very sweet print with this ball. And it's so easy!
Get some template plastic and trace Template A on it using a permanent marker (I find a regular sharpie to be the best marker for making templates because it dries quickly). Cut the plastic using regular scissors, not fabric scissors since it will quickly dull them. That's it! Now you have a clear template!
Use this clear template to get the precise cut you want every time. I used plastic templates twice. Once for the dog fabric ball shown in the previous tip, and once for the striped ball shown above so I could be sure the stripes were exactly the same on each petal.
You can also create clear plastic templates for Template B, but remember that you won't be able to see that entire shape since at least half of it gets eaten up when the ball is sewn together. So I personally wouldn't spend the extra time on it.
Instead, think of the Template A petal shape as your hero fabric and the Template B pie shape as your background fabric.
Tip #5: Say Sorry to Your Pets — This Project Is Not For Them
We know you love your fur babies. And as makers, we often show our love through creating handmade gifts. But after making five petal balls, I know that my dog would have destroyed one in literal seconds.
These balls are meant for baby grips. And yes, babies can sometimes have unbelievable strength (especially when they grab hold of long hair...ask me how I know), but that's nothing compared to dog jaws or cat claws. A baby is highly unlikely to grab this ball in a way that puts extreme pressure on the hand stitched elements, but pets can and will.
The most important part of the pattern to consider when evaluating a pet's likelihood to destroy a petal ball starts with Step 6 in Petal Ball Assembly in the pattern. This is when you hand stitch petal units together to create the ball. Those hand stitches are partially exposed and they are the most important part of the ball's structural integrity. And a pet can chew or claw through those stitches in an instant.
You know your pet better than I do. But this toy takes a long time to make and I want to warn you now that putting hours into making a petal ball only to see it destroyed in under ten seconds would personally break my heart.
Avoid heartache and stick to making these balls for the smallest humans in your life. But if you're determined to make something special for your pet, try our Triangle Jitters Quilted Dog Bed!
Petal Ball Fabric Inspiration
If you're feeling stuck about what fabrics to use for a petal ball, here are a variety of suggestions! I approached every petal ball I made thinking about our readers first. I wanted to show you specifically how a project like this would look in many different ways to help you envision yourself making one.
Striped Ball
I used template plastic to cut out stripes that were exactly the same on each petal to create a ball with a fun illusion. Fabric from Suzy's Evolve fabric collection.
- Fat eighth: Diamond Stripe Key Lime
- Fat quarter: Evolve Pistachio
Tropical Print Ball
This ball was made to demonstrate how the petal ball would look with two busy prints. I love it! Shown below behind held. Fabric from Suzy's Evolve fabric collection.
- Fat eighth: Tiny Meadow Nova
- Fat quarter: Evolve Key Lime
Minimal Dots Ball
I used a subtle print for Template A and a solid for Template B so you could see a more minimal look. Shown in the center. Fabric from Suzy's Evolve fabric collection and her Signature PURE Solids.
- Fat eighth: Tiny Moon Nova
- Fat quarter: Pistachio
Rainbow Ball
The rainbow petal ball shows how a ball looks made with scrappy fabric and also how the ball can be a fun color identification toy as a baby starts to age. For this ball, you'll need scraps in 12 colors for Template A plus one fat quarter for Template B. Fabric from Suzy's Signature PURE Solids collection.
Scraps for Template A in the following colors:
- Snapdragon
- Poppy
- Queen Bee
- Pistachio
- Matcha
- Hemlock
- Cerulean
- Honeymoon
- Nova
- Thistle
- Haze
- Velvet
Template B: One fat quarter of Pearl.
Fussy Cut Animal Print Ball
While petal balls look adorable with animal prints highlighted on each petal shape, remember that we do NOT recommend making these as gifts for your beloved pets. You can confidently give this toy to any baby, but a pet's claws or teeth could easily and quickly break the ball.
- Fat eighth: Any cute print that fits within Template A. The dog print I used for this ball was a Japanese import with no selvage that I purchased in 2019, so I'm not able to share that exact fabric.
- Fat quarter: Nova from Suzy's Signature PURE Solids.
Week 3 Sponsors & Prizes
Our week three sponsors are Trace Creek Quilting on Instagram and Thai Charm Quilting & More on Facebook. Both are giving away free edge to edge longarm quitling for a throw sized quilt! The Suzy Quilts team has worked with both of these longarmers and we know you'll love working with them too.
Here's how to win one of these great prizes!
How to Win on Instagram
- Post a pic to Instagram. The photo prompt for Instagram during the abbreviated sew along is the same each week — post a picture of the fabric you are using to make your Fronds quilt or any progress picture. Use #FrondsQuiltSA in the caption.
- You must have a public Instagram profile to participate.
- Each photo posted is an entry and you can enter as many times as you want in a single week. Once the week is over, those posts do not count in the next week's giveaway. Every week we start fresh.
- Your photo must be posted between Friday, April 26 and Friday, May 3. The winner will be picked randomly from all qualifying posts and announced at approximately 3:00 p.m. Central on the 3rd. Good luck!
How to Win on Facebook
- Post a pic in the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook group. The photo prompt for Facebook during the abbreviated sew along is the same each week — post a picture of the fabric you are using to make a Fronds quilt or any progress picture. IMPORTANT: We use hashtags less frequently on Facebook, but in order for us to see each post and randomly select a winner, be sure to use #FrondsQuiltSA in the caption of your picture.
- You must be a member of the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook group to participate. You do not need to have a public Facebook profile.
- Each photo posted is an entry and you can enter as many times as you want in a single week. Once the week is over, those posts do not count in the next week's giveaway. Every week we start fresh.
- Your photo must be posted between Friday, April 26 and Friday, May 3. The winner will be picked randomly from all qualifying posts and announced at approximately 3:00 p.m. Central on the 3rd. Good luck!
