Monday 1 April 2013

Truncated Icosahedron or a Patchwork Ball!

Le Challenge - Geometrics

A truncated Icosahedron is the Archimedean solid shape that a football is based on. It has 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. Because these shapes will not tessellate on a flat surface they make up the ball.......put simply....if you lay them out on a table and try and make them fit....you can't, there will always be a gap and it is this gap that makes the patchwork curve enough to give the ball shape.


When Nat and Lucy issued the first challenge I was going to the Sewing Directory meet up in Exeter the next day. Thanks to Fi and Kerry it was a tremendous success. I hoped that Kerry would use 1 inch sided hexagons, so I quickly cut out some pentagons from an old shirt to take along too.


Kerry had precut some hexagons for us to use and also I used her Sizzix to cut a few more. I sewed the hexagons to the pentagons, making the ball shape as I went along, making sure each pentagon had 5 hexagons surrounding it.


Eventually I ended up with this.....


....and after removing the papers that were stuck down with a Sewline fabric glue pen instead of basting.....thanks for the great time saving tip Kerry!


......not quite perfectly round as it is stuffed with carrier bags and 2 e-cloths....whatever was at hand in Portugal in the van! Depending on the next Challenge I might have to cut up Tim's shirt or the tea-towel!!!
Sorry there are no links in this post, but blogging on the go. Please see my sidebar for a link to 'Le Challenge' inspiration and ideas.

15 comments:

  1. I haven't started my Le Challenge yet... Don't know if it will happen this time around!
    Great job!
    Stopping by from Lily's

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  2. Very clever, and no I haven't started yet either - I need to!

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  3. Beautiful patchwork - and now the maths makes a bit more sense too!

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  4. That's an awesome football! I have a small boy here who would love one of these!

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  5. Fab! Hope you're having a great time!

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  6. Super cute ball!
    Amandak@whatthebobbin

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  7. Love the ball and the choice of fabric.

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  8. Love the way this goes together! Can't believe you remembered to link up when you are away on holiday though.

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  9. Amazing! My BF and I had a conversation the other day about whether footballs are made from hexagons or pentagons - now I know!!!

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  10. Wonderful ball and very clever indeed! Hope you're having a brilliant time! :)

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  11. I have been wanting to do one of those for my baby boy for a long time...! Your looks soo great!!

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  12. I love your ball. It's looking very round to me. How big is it finished (roughly)? :)

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  13. I love it what a great baby gift it would make!

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  14. Following to see what you make next!

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  15. Very clever! I've never tried to make any thing three-dimensional like this and would never have known how to do it. :)

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