Frogglin Faffing

I made this patchwork earth as an entry in the Craftster Craft Challenge for May and as it’s turned out to be a little bit popular and there’s been requests for a tute, I am now tuting. Well, look. I’m not really a tute writer, so let’s call this a Guide. This is how I did it, basically, you may have faster, better or more fun ways to do it in which case go right ahead. As in anything I give a guide for, play explore and embellish to make it all yours.

12 Gore Patchwork Planet

You will need:
Selection of fabrics in blue (quite a lot), Green (a bit less) and white (just a tad. I actually used pale prints with wrong side out, just for more interest than plain white). Also browns if you want to add deserts.
A rotary cutter will make all of this so much easier.
Cutting mat (unless you’re using scissors)
Fabric scissors (even if you’re using a rotary cutter)
Ruler or other guide the size of your squares.
Graph paper
The map below, or another 12 gore map if you prefer.
Sewing machine, or hand sewing supplies and a lot more patience than me.
A ton of pins.
Iron, ironing board.
Stuffing of your choice, or a ball if you want to do that and can do all the maths. I can’t help you with the maths.

Step One

Click that image to open up the map. Grab your graph paper and play around with the print size of the image to get it easily lined up. It’s much easier to have your gores line up exactly with the graph. I’m explaining this badly, I know, but play and you’ll see what I mean. Mine were 4 squares across.

Once you have your map sized, tape it to a window with the graph paper lined up over the top (you can use a light box if you have one, aren’t you a fancy pants?).

Ignore the graph for now and just trace over the outlines. We’ll make it more griddy in a moment. Remember to include the gore outlines as well, otherwise you’ll be in trouble later on.
You could probably save this step and print the image directly onto grid paper if you can line it up. I only had 2 sheets of grid paper, so I didn’t want to be all extravagant with it

Step Two
Break out your felt tip pens, crayons or whatever else you use to colour in with. Now we’re going to fill in the pattern with the fabric colours we’ll use.

This is the point where we’re making the pattern we’ll follow. Follow the grid lines close to your traced outlines, using an “average” technique. This means if a grid square is mostly land, you make the whole thing land. You can also use half squares for shaping, both diagonally and straight. You could probably use quarter squares if you really want to shape everything properly, but that’s very fiddly.
In mine, above, the land was coloured green, the water left white and the ice coloured pale blue. I added deserts later, that’s up to you.

Step Three
Lay your pattern to one side and get aquainted with your rotary cutter. My guide for cutting was 40mm, or 4cm, which gave me an end result of 1 inch squares (2.5 cm). It doesn’t matter what size you use, whatever you’re happy with, but remember your seam allowence and make sure all your squares are the same size.
Press your fabric before cutting, and then go for it. If you’re using scissors, it’s probably easier to rule your lines with pencil or chalk on the wrong side and then cut.

Sort your pretty little squares as you cut into colours, it’s easier later on to dig them out.
If you’re the kind of person who does counting (I’m not) you could figure out exactly how many squares you need and cut just that many. I went with the “Let’s have MANY SQUARES” technique. I’ll find something to do with the left overs later.

Step Four
Sew ALL the squares!
Grab your pattern and number your gores along the top. Promise this is easier later on, because you can number your finished gores the same way and it’s just faster than figuring out if the landmass you’re holding is Asia or Africa.
Now, I don’t have good pictures for this bit, so bear with me as I try to explain.
Working from the top of the pattern down, create the rows as they appear on the chart. So, if you’re at the top, it’s probably 4 squares of white for the first row. Pick up the first two whites, place them right sides together and sew down one side.
Pick up the next white, place it right side to the unsewn side of the previous white, sew the open edge.
As you complete each row, sew it to the previous row – right sides together. You’ll build your gore row by row.

For your half squares, just slap a couple of squares together with right sides facing and sew down the halfway line. It’s helpful to trim the excess off so you have less bulk to sew. Unfold them and sew them to the previous square as usual.

As you finish each gore, label it with a spare bit of fabric with the proper number.

When you have your 12 gores finished, have a cup of tea and iron them well so they’re flat and the seams are set down a bit.

Step Five
Measure a square on one of your finished gores to see what size it is, then enlarge one gore of your pattern on your printer if you have a copying printer or on a photocopier until the grid squares on your paper are the same size as your fabric squares. It’s a bit messy, but it works. Cut out the paper gore (you may have to tape it together first). This is now your cutting pattern.

Take your gores one at a time, lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace around it with a fabric marker, pencil or whatever.
This is not your cutting line, this is your sewing line so make sure it’s nice and clear. Cut around the gores leaving a seam allowence.

Now, shall we see if we can make your sewing machine weep?

Step Six
Pick up gore number 1 and gore number 2. Place them right side together and pin down the seam – pin a LOT. So many pins. They’re not going to line up perfectly because of the curve, so I tended to pin at each end first and then just pull and pin to make the edge match. I did this by stabbing a pin through the sewing line then checking the underside to see if the pin went through the other sewing line. I’m sure there’s better ways, but that worked for me. Just adjust as you need to until the lines match and then you can sew along the sewing line.
Do this slowly – you have a lot of little seamy bits and what not and even the sturdy old Elna from the 1960s I used had some issues. Just be slow and steady and you’ll get there.

Open out the two gores, grab gore 3 and repeat. Keep going until you have all 12 gores sewn.
As for the final seam, if you intend to put a ball or something inside, then leave it completely open. If you’re going to use stuffing, then sew from the top to about half way down, leave a gap of 6 squares, then sew to the bottom.
The point to watch when your sewing is, in fact, the points. If they don’t match perfectly there’ll be a gap in them. Mine didn’t match perfectly. If you can poke a finger through the points, just handsew a bit around the top till they’re closed up.
Turn your planet right way out.

The last thing
Now, you stuff. If you’re using a ball, just pull the earth over the ball and sew up the final gore. If you’re using stuffing, pack it as firmly as possible so the Earth takes on the proper rounded shape. Really pack it full, when you think it can’t take any more, add some more stuffing.
Sew the stuffing hole closed by hand and there you go, you have a patchwork planet of your very own!
Well done If you make one, please please add the link to this post in the comments, I’d love to see it.

(My spell check is broken, I think I did okay but if you see any spelling mistakes or typos then sorry about that)