Suede Leather Ball for Full Body Exercises

I have made the same balls with fabrics for many times as party favors. This time I want to make it in suede leather because of 3 ulterior motives. Leather lasts longer than fabrics. Simply touching suede leather is a comfort. And I want to put suede leather scraps from previous projects to good use.

In this instructable, I'll show you have to make a suede leather bean ball/bag and use it in a set of 7 exercises that builds/exercises strength, balancing skills, mental ability, and elementary math.

MATERIALS

Soft suede leather scraps

Thread

Rice (to fill the ball)

EQUIPMENT

Sewing machine

Sewing machine needle for leather

Note: This article may contain affiliate links as references for the same or similar products used in this project. If you click on the links and make purchases I could receive a small percentage of commission from the advertising company with no extra cost to you.

Step 1: Print the Pattern Piece and Cut the Leather Pieces

Print and cut out the pattern piece from the attached file.

Lay the pattern piece on fabric and cut 8 pieces of fabric as shown in the above photo.

Note: I didn't include seam allowance in the pattern piece. I sew carefully with 1/8" seam allowance and end up with a perfect size for my hands. Sewing with 1/8" seam allowance on a regular home sewing machine is tricky. If you want, You can add 1/8" all around the pattern piece (use 1/8" wide ribbon) before you cut it from the paper. Then you can sew with a comfortable 1/4" seam allowance and end up with the same size as I did..

Step 2: Sew the Ball

Stitch each of the 4 pieces fabric from left to right to each other to form 2 half spheres.

Stitch the 2 half spheres together to form a ball, leave an opening to fill the ball with rice.

Slip stitch the opening, and there you already have it!

Step 3: A Lot Exercise and Fun With It!

I'd like to introduce a set of at least 7 exercises my childhood friends and I played all the time. So did children who were older than me. I didn't know who invented it, a genius maybe. Nor do I know if same or similar games were/are played by children/people in other parts of the world.

This set of exercise can be played by one person alone or a group of any number of players.

The central feature is to use a part of your body to kick/push the ball straight up in air, receive the ball when it falls and kick/push up for a predetermined times. When the ball falls off to ground, the turn of that player is over, it's next player's turn. We usually started with "kicking 5", then "kicking 10", on and on.

The game starts first using the inside of the feet with leg bends in front of you at knee for about 30-45 degrees angle; second, outside of the feet with leg bends to the side about 30-45 degrees angle; third, toes with leg straight; forth, leg below knee part with leg straight; fifth, leg above knee part with leg below knee part perpendicular to it; sixth, top of elbow with arm folded in front; seventh, with a jump, use the hind of the heel of the other foot, cross from behind to kick/push the ball straight up to the air, receive the ball with the same body part and repeat the action for 5 times if the player is in "kicking 5" stage. The last exercise is the hardest. Seldom can a player do 5 in a row without the ball falling to the ground instead of the hind heel of the other foot. You can see in the video I can only do one now, occasionally two.

The video in the introduction shows the first and second exercise. I was "kicking 10" and the ball fell out of my control after 3 into the second exercise. The video in this step shows the seventh exercise. Some of the actions of the set are often seen in soccer games. Maybe I'm biased. Looking back, the set of exercises seem like developed by sports experts for children. They not only uses every body parts, they require a lot mental ability for balancing. as the number of players increases, it also requires good elementary math for counting, addition, and memory to remember who is doing how many of what.

There is no losers in the game. The player who is furthest up in the game is the most admired and the one everyone wants to overtake next time.

Anyway, it's a lot fun, a lot exercise to have with the help of a simple suede leather ball. Please consider voting this instructable for Leather Contest and/or Backyard Contest. Thanks.

Note: This article may contain affiliate links as references for the same or similar products used in this project. If you click on the links and make purchases I could receive a small percentage of commission from the advertising company with no extra cost to you.