Baby Football Tutorial

It's almost football season!! I can't wait to take our little family to see the Tigers play! Gray was too young last year, and still won't get it this year...but she loves music, and clapping, and hopefully likes us....so she has a seat in Death Valley! (We're a little obsessed around here with our Tigers Football)

I don't want her to miss out on the fun, so I decided to start getting her "Game-Day" ready and make her a football just for her. It's purple and orange, and complete with jingle-bells. She has been playing with it since I handed it to her.

Her Daddy was disappointed when we found out she was a girl, which broke my heart! Then, I told him that you could do ANYTHING with a girl that you could with a boy, but this didn't work in reverse. He could teach her to throw a ball, and go fishing, but you can't put a dress on a little boy and paint his toenails. He seemed more at peace with having a daughter after that. Now....11 months later, see if anything comes between him and "Daddy's little girl"! I love watching them together. I can't wait to see them together at the games this fall!

Now...onto the tutorial...

Materials:

Cotton fabric for football in your favorite team colors. You could use scraps too, it doesn't take much.

Polyfil stuffing

jingle bells

ribbon

sewing stuff

Start by cutting 4 football "shapes" out of your fabric. Mine were about 12" long and 6" wide.

Find a scrap piece of fabric to make a jingle bell pouch. I used 3 bells in mine.

Stitch this little pouch together to hold the bells in. After I made mine I gave it to Gray to play with. Bad idea...you see the sweet potato residue???  Back to the football....

I decided to put laces on mine to make it look more "football-like". I found some ribbon that matched my football beautifully. Cut one long piece and three shorter pieces to make the laces.

Stitche these on to one of your football pieces. Make sure you backstitch and sew them on good so their tiny fingers won't rip them off (You know they'll try!)

To assemble your football, take two of your pieces and lay them right sides together. Sew down one of the long sides leaving the other open.

This will give you a "football pita pocket" shape.

Continue sewing the other two sides on in the same way, right sides together. Once you're attaching your fourth panel, make sure you leave a small hold about 2 inches wide for turning and stuffing.

Using your tool of choice, dowel, screwdriver, chopsticks, etc. turn your football right side out.

Begin stuffing! Take your jingle bell pouch away from your baby and make sure it gets into the football too!

Once it's full, stuff a little more in, just for the sake of fluffiness.

Hand-stitch the opening closed

Toss it back to your baby to play, or add it to their Collegiate shrine you've had for them since before they were born.

I gave Gray her's to play with. Obviously she likes it because she wouldn't sit still with it!

{Action Shot}

She even let Sir Charles play some too. Sharing is so nice at this age....

Don't forget to pack it for tailgating!! Nobody will be angry if this football hits their car!

If you make this or other similar baby toys...I would love to see them in the Flickr Group

Especially if you have other college football favorites!