Rag Balls

One of my favorite crafts is making rag balls. I learned this craft from my sister in law Robin. A couple years ago when I was visiting I saw a unique box filled with colorful rag balls in the middle of her dining room table. I complimented Robin on the display. A short while after this she gave me a bag filled with rag balls for me to use in my own house. I went home and placed them in an antique bowl.
I often wonder what I like about these rag balls I have them all around my house in a variety of containers - glass baskets, boxes my son made, and a large pickle jar. Each container has a special memory or story - whether where I purchased it or who gave it to me. The bowl I used for my first batch from Robin was from a short road trip in Niagara County with my mom and sisters. We stopped at a small antique shop that we all wanted to stop at, just for fun. When I saw the bowl I knew I had to buy it - although a little expensive. I brought it home - where it sat til I received the rag balls. The bowl reminds me of a special day - spending time with family. Well the balls just make me happy! I guess I also find it relaxing to make them and then enjoy their color around the house.

I found a short story on my e reader " A Ball Made of Rags" by CE Wills. I decided to read it because of my interest in rags balls. It is apparently A true story told by a third person about meeting a man in a grave yard. Story goes like this... A man was sitting at a grave site where there was a rag ball on the grave stone. The man was crying. He explained that he was sad because
he had missed out talking with his grandmother before she passed away. When he was little his grandmother was poor but took time to make a ball out of rags for him to play with. He missed her very much - remembering all she did for him when he was young. The rag ball represents his love for his grandmother.