How to Cover a Ball with Fabric for Craft Projects

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero

Last Updated: October 19, 2023 References

Covering a styrofoam ball with fabric is a fun and easy way to make DIY Christmas ornaments or ornamental balls for other decorative purposes. These eye-catching fabric-covered balls come together pretty quickly with just a few simple craft supplies. Make them yourself to give as gifts or do this project with friends or family for a fun and crafty afternoon together!

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Dividing the Ball into Sections

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1
Measure the circumference of the ball with a flexible measuring tape. Wrap a flexible measuring tape, like the kind tailors use, horizontally around the middle of the styrofoam ball. Simply read the number on the measuring tape where it meets the starting end to find the circumference!
- A 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) styrofoam ball works well for this, but feel free to use whatever size of ball you want.
2
Mark 8 even sections on the ball by drawing vertical lines from pole to pole. Divide the circumference of the ball by 8 to figure out how far apart to space the sections, each of which you’ll be covering with a piece of fabric. Carefully mark 8 evenly spaced vertical lines from the center of the top of the ball to the center of the bottom of the ball.
- For example, if you’re using a 3 in (7.6 cm) ball, the lines should be about 1 in (2.5 cm) and ¹⁄₈ in (0.32 cm) apart.
- If you want bigger sections of fabric, divide the ball into 6 even sections instead. It’s totally up to you how many different pieces of fabric you want to cover the ball with!^{[1]
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3
Make ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) deep cuts along the lines with a sharp knife. Use a craft knife or even a sharp kitchen knife. Line the blade of the knife up with 1 of the drawn lines and carefully slice straight along it. Repeat this for each of the marked lines to make the slits you’ll be tucking the pieces of fabric into to hold them in place on the ball.^{[2]
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- Don’t worry too much about getting the depth of your cuts to exactly ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) deep. Anywhere from about ¹⁄₄–³⁄₈ in (0.64–0.95 cm) deeps works just fine.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Making a Pattern for the Fabric

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1
Trace 2 adjacent cut lines from the ball onto a piece of paper using a marker. Cup a blank piece of paper gently over the ball, so that it covers 2 adjacent slits. Carefully draw along the slits, on top of the paper, to outline the section for your pattern.^{[3]
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- Your outline doesn’t have to be perfect because you’re going to make it bigger anyways. Just try to get the general shape and size of the section.
- Don’t worry about making more than 1 pattern because all the pieces of fabric are the same size. You can use the same pattern for each piece of fabric!
2
Make the outline about ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) wider on both sides. Lay the piece of paper with your outline on a flat surface. Draw parallel lines on both sides approximately ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) away from the original lines.^{[4]
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- Use a measuring tape or a ruler to help you space the lines if it’s easier, but don’t worry too much about getting the spacing exact!
- This extra width makes it much easier for you to tuck the fabric pieces into the slits you cut because they’ll have extra fabric to work with.
3
Cut the outline out of the paper with scissors. Use a pair of craft scissors or any household scissors you have available that are comfortable for you to cut with. Carefully cut along the second set of lines you drew on the paper to separate your fabric pattern from the paper, so you can use it to cut out all your beautiful pieces of fabric.^{[5]
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- There are also print-and-cut patterns available online for different diameters of balls if you prefer to get your pattern that way. Do whatever’s most convenient for you!

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Cutting the Pieces of Fabric

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1
Pin your pattern to a piece of fabric. Position your pattern over the area of the fabric that you want to decorate your ball with, taking the pattern of the fabric into account. Carefully put a pin through the paper and the fabric at each pointy end of the pattern.^{[6]
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- Any type of straight, round-headed pin works for this.
- Note that thinner fabrics are easier to tuck into the slits. Any decorative fabric that’s not really thick works well.
- You could use elegant, delicate fabrics like satin, taffeta, or velvet, for example. Don’t be afraid to mix and max textures, patterns, and colors!
2
Cut the fabric around the pattern using a pair of fabric scissors. Carefully cut along 1 side of the pattern from point to point. Rotate the fabric and cut along the other side to separate a piece of fabric to cover 1 section of the ball with.^{[7]
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- Don’t worry if the edges of the fabric aren’t perfect. They’ll be hidden when you finish.
3
Repeat the process to cut out fabric for all the remaining sections. Pin the paper pattern carefully to another section of fabric. Cut around it again with your fabric scissors to get another section of fabric. Keep going until you have enough pieces of fabric to cover all the sections of the ball.^{[8]
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- For example, if you divided the ball into 8 even sections, cut out 8 pieces of fabric. It’s as simple as that!
- Different pieces of fabric with different textures and patterns can give your ball unique, contrasting sections.
- For example, you could alternate between striped, solid, and polka-dotted sections of fabric for lots of fun visual patterns.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Assembling and Decorating the Ball

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1
Pin the fabric pieces into place over the sections of styrofoam. Place 1 piece of fabric over 1 section of the styrofoam ball, stretching it vertically from the top pole to the bottom pole until it’s tight. Stick 1 pin through the fabric into the styrofoam at each of the poles. Repeat this for each piece of fabric until the ball is totally covered.^{[9]
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- The fabric pieces should overlap slightly over the cut lines and at the top and bottom poles of the ball.
2
Tuck the excess fabric into the cut lines with the edge of a butter knife. Place the edge of the knife over the fabric where it rests over top of 1 of the slits in the styrofoam. Firmly push the fabric down into the cut as far as it will go. Repeat this for the fabric above each of the cut lines.^{[10]
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- If there’s any excess fabric that you can’t push down into the cuts, carefully trim it off with fabric scissors to tidy up your ornament.
3
Hot glue pieces of cord or ribbon over the tucked fabric to hide the edges. Cut pieces of cord or ribbon to the length of the cut lines with scissors. Squeeze a thin bead of hot glue along the length of 1 of the cut lines on top of the tucked fabric and press a piece of cord or ribbon into place. Repeat this for each cut line.
- For example, use something like a multi-colored twisted cord or metallic silver- or gold-colored ribbon to add more decorative details to your fabric-covered ball ornaments.
- Christmas ribbon used for wrapping presents is a great option!
4
Glue a ribbon loop to the top of the ball if you want to use it as an ornament. Tie a piece of Christmas ribbon into a loop. Squeeze a dab of hot glue onto the center of the top pole of the ball. Press the knot of the looped ribbon into the hot glue to attach it to the ball.
- If you don’t want to hang the balls as ornaments, skip the ribbon loop.
- An alternative way to display the decorative balls is by putting them in a bowl and using the bowl as a centerpiece on a dining room table or a coffee table.
5
Attach a matching bow to the top of the ball with glue for a pretty accent. Tie a piece of ribbon into an ornamental bow. Squeeze a dab of hot glue into the middle of the top of the ball and press the ornamental bow into the glue.^{[11]
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- If you attached a ribbon loop for hanging, glue the ornamental bow over the knot of the looped ribbon to hide it.
6
Push pearl-headed pins into the center of the poles for a final elegant touch. Stick a pearl-headed pin into the exposed bottom pole to make it look neater. Do the same for the top pole, if it isn’t hidden by a bow.^{[12]
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- Feel free to use pins with colored heads instead of pearl-headed pins if you prefer! Get creative to give your ball the look you want.

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Tips

You can make heads for Muppet-style puppets by wrapping felt tightly around a ball, hot-gluing it in place as you go, and trimming off the excess fabric when the ball is covered.^{[13]
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You can also make more abstract ball ornaments by gluing rectangular strips of fabric around a styrofoam ball in random directions until it’s totally covered, kind of like paper mache.

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