Free Kimekomi Ball Tutorials

1. Divide your ball into 6 equal sections.
2. Set your compass to 3 cm. Put your compass point on the point where the lines you just drew intersect the mold line at the equator.
3. Draw 6 circles at each of the 6 points.
4. Turn the ball so the mold line is vertical. This will be the orientation of your ornament.
5. Locate the hexagon at the front of the ornament and cut the foam as shown in the video below. You should have 6 triangle like shapes creating a hexagon when you are done.
6. Cut 3 pieces of the cherry blossom fabric in roughly the size of the triangle like shapes. Make sure to leave enough extra fabric on the edges for tucking. Also, cut out 3 pieces of the solid pink fabric in the same way.
7. Tuck the fabric into the cut foam as shown in the video. Alternate the two different fabrics. You may glue down the fabric if you wish but make sure that the glue doesn’t seep through the fabric.
8. Next, cut out the 6 almond shapes on the foam ball that were created when the circles drawn intersected. They are connected to the corners of the hexagon.
9. Cut 3 pieces of each of your pink fabrics in the shape of the almond shaped sections. Make sure to leave enough extra fabric on the edges for tucking.
10. Each of the almond shaped sections touch a corner of the hexagon. Using the opposite fabric from the one used on the corner of the hexagon it touches, tuck the fabric into the cuts.
11. Repeat steps 4-6 on the opposite side of the ball.
12. Cover the remaining sections with green fabric. If the black line drawn through the sections can be seen through your fabric, use some liquid white out to cover them.
13. Once all your sections have been covered with fabric, glue the cord on all the seams.
14. Pin a flower and plum blossom sequin at the center of the front and back hexagons with a corsage pin.
15. Finish the ornament by threading the pink bead onto a corsage pin, then a plum blossom sequins, then the hanging cord, and lastly the bow. Dip your pin in glue and then pin it onto the top of the ornament.

1. Divide your ball into 6 equal sections.
2. Set your compass to 2 cm and draw a circle at the top and bottom of your foam ball.
3. In each of the 6 sections, find the center point of the line you just drew and mark. Do this on both top and bottom of your ball as seen in the video below.
4. Then, at the equator mold line. Set your compass to 1 cm, place the compass point on one of the six vertical lines and mark the mold line on both sides of the drawn line, as shown in the video below. You should have 2 marks on either side of each of the six vertical lines when you are finished.
5. Connect the dots to create 6 vertical diamond shapes inside the original 6 sections drawn.
6. Cut the diamond shapes into the foam.
7. Cut 6 pieces of the patterned black and red fabric into diamond shapes, leaving extra fabric for tucking.
8. Tuck the fabric, covering the diamond shape. You may glue down the fabric if you wish but make sure that the glue doesn’t seep through the fabric.
9. Next, cover the top and bottom circles with the black floral fabric.
10. Then, cut out 6 rectangles of solid red fabric leaving enough extra fabric for tucking. Tuck as shown in the video, including the center line.
11. Next, pin gold sequins along the seams, covering all the seams.
12. Pin a filigree embellishment with a corsage pin to the bottom of the ornament.
13. Finish with a gold hanging ribbon and filigree embellishment pinned at the top with a corsage pin.

 If you’ve never made a sequined ornament before, visit the Sequin and Glitter Ornaments page for more specific details on pinning sequins. 

The trick to this ornament is good symmetry. If you don’t get your original 4 sections drawn perfectly then the design will be off. Before you start, make sure your ball is not warped or damaged. 

1. Divide your ball into 4 equal sections.
2. Set your compass to 4 cm and draw a circle at the top and bottom of your foam ball.
3. At the center mold line, find the point where the 4 vertical lines intersect it. At each point draw a circle with your compass, still set at a 4 cm radius.
4. White out the original 4 vertical lines you drew. You should now only see the 6 circles.
5. Cut the foam along all the drawn circles.
6. Once all your cuts are finished, locate the the 12 almond shaped sections where each of the circles intersect each other.
7. Cut red fabric into oval shapes a little larger than the center of the almond spaces.
8. Cover the center of the almond shape with red fabric, tucking the edges into the cuts in the foam.
9. Then cover the squares and finally the small triangles at the end of the almond shapes with the patterned fabric.
10. Once all the foam is covered with fabric, line the seams with gold sequins.
11. Finish the ornament with a hanging ribbon and bow, both of gold ribbon at the top of the ornament.

If you’ve never made a sequined ornament before, visit the Sequin and Glitter Ornaments page for more specific details on pinning sequins.

Variation 1

 My first variation eliminates the small triangles in the design. In step 2 and 3 of the directions, set your compass at 3.5 cm rather than 4 cm. If you are using a foam ball with a 8 cm diameter, the small triangles in the design will disappear. 

Variation 2

 My second variation looks all together different from both the original and the 1st variation. I was really surprised how it turned out. In step 2 and 3 of the directions, set your compass at 5 cm and voila… 

1.  Divide your ball into 4 equal sections.
2. (Optional: Trace around the equator mold line.)
3. Cut out a paper heart about 3 to 4 centimeters tall.
4. On one of the dividing lines, at the point where the line and equator line meet, trace the heart 3 times to create a shamrock shape. You can center the shamrock north and south, or you can do it off center like I did.
5. White out the dividing lines inside each heart.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 on the opposite side of the ball.
7. Cut the shamrocks with your craft knife.
8. Using your paper heart as a cutting pattern, cut out 6 hearts of quilt batting.
9. Then cut out 6 hearts of solid green fabric. The fabric hearts should be about 1 cm larger all around than your paper heart.
10. With your glue stick glue a piece of batting over one of the heart shapes in the shamrock.
11. Lay a piece of solid green fabric over the top and tuck the edges into the foam. Repeat this for all heart shapes until your shamrocks are covered.
12. Cut remaining vertical lines on the ball.
13. Lay the patterned fabric over each of the remaining 4 sections and tuck into the foam. This is quite difficult since you must tuck around the shamrock. It’s best to tuck and cut as you go.
14. Once all of your fabric is in place, pin sequins around the shamrocks. Thread one seed bead onto a 3/4 inch sequin pin and then a green sequin. Dip in glue and pin to the seam.
15. Don’t forget to create a stem for your shamrocks with sequins.
16. With the shamrock sequins, pin them around the large shamrocks, over the patterned fabric at random.
17. Thread a bead onto a pearl headed pin, then the hanging ribbon, and then the bow, in that order. Create the bow using 2 loops of each shade of green ribbon you have. I made a 14 looped bow. Dip the pin in glue and pin to the top of the ball.
18. Last, add the bottom cap using a bead and a corsage pin.