Emily Hessell makes balls. To be more precise, it makes soccer balls from scratch.
“There’s not much more to it than that,” she said.
Two cultural forces brought Emily – known as Hess – to the art of balloon making: the social media platform TikTok and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a video from content creator and bullet maker Jon-Paul Wheatley made its way into Emily’s algorithm. Although the video caught her attention, a few years passed before she became familiar with the tools herself, facilitated by a new obsession with women’s football.
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Finding fandom with the Women’s World Cup
Like many casual football fans in Australia, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was the catalyst that made Emily an avid fan of the game.
During the tournament, she and her wife Blair attended matches in their hometown of Perth and immersed themselves in the Tillies’ historic run.
Now they wake up in the middle of the night to watch European matches (Emily follows Chelsea, Blair follows Arsenal), have traveled interstate to watch matches and are currently planning their next vacation to attend the European Championships in Switzerland later this year.
“I definitely didn’t do this a few years ago,” she said.
“We had friends who would get up to watch the Premier League and say, ‘You’re crazy. Why don’t you watch it in the morning?’ And now it’s like, ‘Oh, I get it.'”
The 2023 Women’s World Cup has transformed Emily and her wife Blair from casual soccer fans into self-confessed tragics. (Provided: Rebecca Ruthven)
When Jon-Paul reappeared on Emily’s feed in 2024, this time she thought, “I think I can do it.”
After that first ball, there was another, and another, and another, with Emily now averaging one ball a week.
She had previously worked in different professions, including quilting, 3D printing, woodworking and leatherwork. Yet none had captivated her as much.
Math, creativity and lots of sewing
The different elements of ball making combine into what Emily describes as the “perfect hobby.”
The ability to translate an idea into reality is supported by her professional experience as a window installer and designer. The design process – developing patterns, selecting color combinations – combines fandom and creative expression with her love of mathematics.
Emily describes ball making as the “perfect hobby.” (Provided: Rebecca Ruthven)
Once a design is ready, Emily shapes anywhere from 12 to over 100 individual pieces using a laser cutter. Each panel is usually made from scraps of kangaroo leather purchased in matching bags. Smaller scraps are generated throughout the process and then incorporated into future creations, with Emily aiming to make them as durable as possible.
Then comes the longest part: seams, more seams, installing a bladder (the part that inflates), then many more seams. The ability to do this from any seated position is particularly attractive.
“It was kind of a creative hobby without needing to set up a table saw or a sewing machine. I could literally do it on the couch,” Emily said.
“I don’t have to be completely focused (and) focused on what I’m doing… It’s quite a therapeutic, almost meditative hobby.”
Using scraps of kangaroo leather, Emily attempts to make her process as sustainable as possible. (Provided: Rebecca Ruthven)
Depending on the complexity of the design, it can take Emily anywhere from three to 30 hours to create a ball from start to finish. Unsurprisingly, she’s gotten a lot faster: the design she used for her first balloon now takes her about 4 hours, compared to 15 hours the first time.
As her skills improved, the possibilities for experimenting with designs and materials expanded – for example, she created baubles from tea towels and cane toad leather.
An important step was creating a replica of the balloon that started it all.
“I saw the video of Jon-Paul doing a similar ball and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.’ And I thought it was so unattainable to be able to achieve that,” she said.
“And then six, nine months later, I did it.”
The final product is now his favorite in his collection.
Depending on the complexity of the design, Emily spends between three and 30 hours making one ball. (Provided: Rebecca Ruthven)
A viral video sharing the story so far
Although Emily initially posted on social media so that her friends and family could follow her, she didn’t expect to have an audience beyond that. Blair had a different view.
“(Blair) said to me, ‘I want to try to get people to see what you’re doing because they’ll find it interesting.'”
After capturing footage of Emily’s efforts along the way, Blair convinced Emily to post a video she had made using the footage she had captured of Emily’s efforts along the way.
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The video has been viewed over 30,000 times, a slight increase in social media following and Blair’s continued appointment as social media manager.
“The things that came out of Blair making that video were pretty crazy,” Emily said.
“I didn’t expect people to care. It seems a little ridiculous, but I just didn’t think a lot of people would say, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ It’s just something I love doing. It’s just my creative outlet.”
Stay connected to the fandom
Blair also had not-so-hidden motivations for finding a new audience, given Emily’s skills.
“Blair said to me, ‘I just want you to start selling these balls so there aren’t balls in every room of the house,'” she laughed.
It paid off, as orders were placed on her Etsy store from all over the world.
“I think I had one sale before this video and I’ve had 10 in the last month now,” she said.
“It’s kind of crazy to me that I’m sitting here in Perth and people are seeing this and going, ‘I want one’… From a little video on TikTok, opportunities have presented themselves that I just didn’t expect.”
Emily now sells her balls online and has fulfilled orders from all over the world. (Provided: Rebecca Ruthven)
The increased attention and interest, while exciting, nevertheless presents some challenges.
“I feel like (before) this video I would just do a ball because I was like, ‘I want to do that.’ Whereas now I’m like, ‘I need to create content from this and find a way to make it interesting,'” Emily said.
Navigating between leisure and productivity, Emily is mindful of staying connected to what drew her to ball making in the first place.
“If I feel too much like I’m doing this just for other people, then I know I’m not going to enjoy it. But for now, I’m still enjoying it and trying not to burn out by doing too much,” she said.
“Whether I spend a few hours a week or a whole day doing it, I’m doing it because I enjoy it. I’m doing it because I’m having fun.”
ABC Sport partners with Mermaid Sports to increase coverage of Australian women in sport.
Angela Christian-Wilkes is a PhD student studying women’s soccer media makers, co-host of the ESPN podcast The Far Post, and an avid fan of social futsal.
