Hand sewing hacky sacks (footbags) submitted by Dan Botkin of Footbag Peace Initiative

Size of Group: 10 maximum

Equipment: small scraps of deerskin or synthetic suede leather, strong waxed (sinew) thread, leather needles and plastic pellets.

Objective: This is a highly sociable, simple yet therapeutic craft project with a short (one hour) duration yielding a lovely and valuable end product. The game of footbag is a unique, cooperative, social sport which brings out the best in a group of friends or strangers.

Description: Leather pieces are traced and cut out (four panels) from recycled leather or fabric scraps, then sewn together using an internal, running stitch. On the final seam, the ball is turned right side out, filled with pellets and closed from the outside using a blind stitch, similar to closing a pillow or stuffed doll. Specific step by step details including a template for cutting the panels is available on the Footbag Peace website at: http://www.valinet.com/~dbotkin/sew.html