How to Make Rag Balls with Fabric Scraps!
Make your own decorative balls to fill vases, trays, and bowls!
A few months ago I was browsing different home decor tutorials on Pinterest (shocking, I know! Haha.) I came across a DIY project that immediately caught my interest: decorative balls! I hadn’t noticed before but quickly realized they are a huge hit with home decor enthusiasts. Crafty folks are making these vase or bowl fillers out of all kinds of materials! Paper flowers, thumbtacks, fabric- the possibilities are endless! Between my stash of scrap fabric and my love of adding pops of color to my displays, I knew this was a project I needed to do ASAP. Pick neutral fabrics for some farmhouse style decor, or pretty flowers for some shabby chic pop! I pictured different rag balls for each season. How perfect would these be made out of plaid at Christmas, or made with fall hues for your fall displays? I forsee some bowl filler decorative ball tutorials with materials other than fabric in my future!
However, while I found several really helpful tutorials for different styles of rag balls, I couldn’t find any specifics as to what sizes people were using! I decided I needed to do my own tutorial with a little more information for those of you who need specifics, like me 😀 This is a fantastic project for using up fabric scraps; if you already have fabric and a glue gun, all you need is some foam balls to get started! I ordered mine from Amazon and was really happy with them, so I’ve included a link to the exact ones I used in the first two Amazon pictures below. I’ve included other options larger packs of styrofoam balls as well. Now that I know how much I love making them I’ll be getting the 40 pack next time for sure!
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Size Suggestions
If you have a large bowl or vase you’re looking to fill then I would recommend the balls that are between 2.5″ and 4″ in diameter. For a tier tray or other tray filler I would recommend 3″ if you just want one size, or 2.5″ and 3″ if you want to vary the size a bit. I found the 4″ balls a bit too big to have too many of them, while the 3″ balls were the most versatile size. The 3″ balls will be the bulk of the ones I make for that reason. You can use straight pins instead of hot glue if you think you will want to change out the fabric on the balls in the future. I figured I like making them so much that I would just make new ones each time.
Easy Home Decor DIY Rag Ball Supplies
- Styrofoam Balls
- A glue gun (you can also use pins instead)
- Fabric
Decorative Balls DIY
The first step in making your amazing rag balls is to create strips of fabric. If you want clean edges you can cut the strips with fabric scissors, or use pinking shears for a fancier edge. I like the more rustic look so I tore my fabric into strips. This actually became my favorite part of the project- it was very cathartic LOL. Figure out which way your fabric stretches; to tear the strips you want it to stretch horizontally when you pull each side. If you pull the top and bottom you want it to be less stretchy than if you pull the sides. You can make a series of 1/2″ cuts across the fabric square then just start ripping them off starting from the right side!
I cut my strips 1/2″ thick, but you can cut thicker strips if you wish. I wanted a lot of the criss-crossing to show, which is why I went thinner. It was also a great way to use some scrap 5×5″ fabric pieces for two of the balls. A 3″ ball used 3 5×5″ squares, which translated into about 20 strips of 1/2″ wide fabric. For the 4″ ball I made 1/2″ strips from 34″ long fabric, and used 5 of them to complete the 4″ ball. If you use scraps and shorter strips of fabric you’re obviously going to have to do more gluing than if you use long strips.
Time to glue!
Once you have your strip(s) ready, put a dot of hot glue on the foam ball and press down one end of a strip of fabric. Then pull the fabric around the ball. You can put dots of hot glue every time you complete a circle around the ball, or every few times if your fabric is staying put. If you’re using short strips of fabric you’re going to have to glue both ends. I tried to glue the ends of several of the short strips in the same place, and then I would cover that spot with the middle of another strip, to hide it. You may have to get creative if you’re using scraps rather than long strips, but the end result is similar! Vary which way your strip wraps around the ball if you want a criss-cross look.
That’s all there is to it! When most of the ball is covered, if you can see spots where the foam is peeking through, make sure you cover them. Glue the end of the last strip, and you’re done!
You did it! Ready to make a dozen more? 😀
I had so much fun trying these decorative balls in different types of displays. I could hardly decide which display I wanted to leave them in! They are truly an incredibly versatile piece of decor. It helps that decorative balls DIY projects are so fun and inexpensive to make! I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did!
Be sure to pin this decorative balls DIY if you want to save the project for later! Check back in the future for more bowl, vase, and tray filler tutorials! I made a second version of rag balls with twisted strips of fabric (sneak peek in my lavender farm tray). I ended up liking them, or a mix of the two, even better. Stay tuned for some seriously cool ideas in mind for fall and winter ball fillers as well! I’d love for you to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss out on my upcoming home decor tutorials. For another fun and easy DIY, be sure to check out my popular Wood Bead Garland DIY tutorial!