Patchwork Pentagon Ball Ornaments

Still playing with my patchwork prints and patterns. Today I've made paper patchwork balls. You may have come across fabric patchwork pentagon balls. The puzzle-like way they fit together is fascinating. Actually, the shape is a dodecahedron - twelve sides. But pentagon ball it is. 

Here are your free downloads (tut to follow):

PentagonBallOrnament.pdf
PentagonBallOrnament.svg 

Paper Patchwork Pentagon Ball Tutorial

1. Above, the ball components. Score and crease all the folds. Make sure the knot in the loop is bulky, so it won't slip out.

2. Join the pentagons to form a ring (first pentagon in the arc to last pentagon in the arc). Use tacky PVA glue applied with a cocktail stick.

3. Next, fold down the "lid" and glue the tabs. Like so:

The inside looks like this:

4. Time to glue the other half of the ball:

Slip the knotted end of the hanging loop inside a corner of the "lid" before gluing the tabs.

Now you have two half "egg shells".

5. Next comes the tricky bit: gluing the two halves together. First of all, carefully examine the two halves of the ball. When you glue them together, you want to avoid gluing adjacent sides with the same pattern.

The zig-zag edges interlock, point-to-valley. Glue the tabs as necessary. If you want to pop a jingle bell inside the ball, the time is now! You don't have to glue absolutely all the tabs, as long as the pentagon ball is secured on all sides:

Here's a pic of the finished pentagon ball ornament:

If you wish, you can add a bow at the base of the hanging loop. You need about 25cm (10in) of ribbon.

Enjoy. These are great fun to make.