Puzzle Ball: Complete!

I made E a "puzzle ball" from the book Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. These toys were all the rage on the interwebs awhile back when the book first came out (yikes, that was five years ago!). Although you often seen them done up in prints, I went with your basic primary and secondary colors, using Kona cotton fabric. Kona seems pretty popular online, but this was my first time using it. Now I see why people like it - it feels more heavy duty than typical quilting cottons, making it great to use for kids' stuff. Just for my reference, the colors that I used were Rich Red, Tangerine, Corn Yellow, Basil Green, Royal Blue, and Crocus Purple. I wish the green were a little brighter, but this one was the best choice that my Joann's had in the store.

Here's the little guy checking it out:

I stuffed it pretty firmly, and it's still a little bit difficult for him to get a hold of, so it's not exactly his favorite toy yet. It sure does look neat though.

What does this super-cool pitcher have to do with anything? The pattern called for you to cut the 5 1/2" diameter circles, and coming in at a 5 1/4" diameter, this pitcher was the closest thing I had. I tend to like to go a little bit smaller than bigger when there's a choice. I'm glad I didn't go any bigger, or Mr. Muffin really wouldn't be able to play with it yet.