Simple Loom Band Ball

Ever thought of making a toy with loom bands? Well, you've come to the right place. In this Instructable, I'll teach you how to make a fun little ball that's got a bit of bounce to it and a new spin on looming. I came across the idea when I was brainstorming about what I could make that I could enter into a contest called soft toys. However with my knowledge of stitching being very limited I had to think of an alternative option. My sister had some loom bands, so I began to mess around with those and I made a little ball that was kinda fun. Then I made it bigger and filled it with a balloon and it turned out to be a family favorite so I figured I might as well share it.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Marterials:

1. Loom bands: The amount depends on the size of your ball but 600 is what you will need to make the ball I made.

2. Clips: I used s-clips but c-clips should work fine. you'll need about 25 for keeping your stitching together in transition but only 4 for the finished product.

3. A balloon.

Tools:

1. The blue piece from the mini loom kit or two pencils.

The first step in making this colorful ball is the longest step. You need to make 22 fish tail strings that are each 25 bands long. Now the number of fishtail strings and the length of the strings will increase the bigger you make your ball but if you want to make a ball the same size I did, those are the numbers to use. This part definitely took me awhile, but as many of you already know looming can be very time consuming. If you don't know how to do a fish tail pattern I recommend you look it up as there are way better teachers then me on the subject but I will do my best to explain it here. Follow the pictures above as you read the steps. First string a band across your two pencils or mini loom kit and twist it so the band makes an X . Next simply loop 2 bands onto your mini loom or pencils. Now that you have three bands on, take the bottom band and bring the right end up and over the other two bands and into the middle. Do the same thing with the left side. Now add on another band and repeat the last two steps until you have a 25 band long string. Eventually you'll get down to the last bit and can't continue the pattern because if you put on another band you'll have 26. You should have 2 bands stretched across your mini loom or pencils and the rest hanging below them in a fish tail pattern. To finish your string take the bottom of the two bands and loop them over the top one like you did earlier. now you should have only one band stretched out. Now its time for your S or C clips. Take one end of the stretched rubber band and put it into your clip. Take the band off the pencil and clip the other end of the rubber band so both ends are on one side of your C or S clip. Thats it! If you still don't understand there are a lot of sites you can visit that will help you get a grip on the subject. Now repeat the process 22 times and you're done with step one!

Now you should have 22 strings of loom bands 25 bands long in a fish tail pattern. Line them up so that the side thats clipped is at the top. (Follow the pictures as you read the steps). Before we start grab 2 extra rubber bands and clip them together. Now its time to remove those temporary clips. Take one of your 22 strings and take out the clip pinching the two ends of the rubber band so the string doesn't fall apart. Put the the 2 bands that you clipped together through the two ends of the rubber band you're pinching so that they replace the clip. Now repeat the process of replacing the temporary clips 10 more times and you should have a half circle of strings, the central bands will definitely need to be stretched to get all the strings on there and I found an extra pair of hands is quite handy. ;) When you have all 11 on, then end it with a clip and do the other half the same way you did the first. The end product should look like the first picture.

Now that that you've got a full circle of strings you've got to connect the other ends. Basically do the same thing you did before the only thing different is the strings are attached at one end. The picture shows you how to start. Also make sure the bands are in successive order or they will cross when you're done. The finished piece should look like the second picture. Now all that's left to be done is to fill our loom band ball with a balloon. Take an empty balloon and push it inside your ball leaving the end protruding from one of the two center circles. Now blow it up. The bigger you blow it the more the bands will separate and the farther they separate the more they will bunch up when you play with it so i recommend you keep your balloon small. Tie your balloon off and you're done! You've made your own loom band ball that you and your friends can enjoy.