Made in the USA

Growing up living so close to my grandparents, on both sides, (which I humbly recommend for all children...and the parents) taught me a lot about obtaining material stuff. I inherited the 'do it yourself' gene, which permeates my every, every day. One example: Grandpa and Grandma made toys for all the grandchildren for several years. One year it was marionettes, another year it was Jacob's ladders, and another year was a stuffed ball. My brother had one of these. As I scrounged around for gift ideas for our little lady, I realized that diaper cream and clothes the next size bigger didn't make for much excitement at Christmas, even though she wasn't even 3 months old. So I decided to make a ball too. I played on the Notre Dame theme in honor of her father, who is a devout fan, even without being a devout Catholic. I even added a handle just for little hands. It's a little lumpy, but she likes it!

How? Cut 12 pentagons out of fabric. Sew the sides of sets of 5 together to form 2 rings. Add another pentagon to the 5 sided edge of each ring, then sew all but 2 edges of the rings together, wrong side out. Turn it right side out, decorate, if desired, and stuff. Then sew it closed...however you can manage. Then play!