You can help set the game mood for your kids by making this cute flag football set. It will turn game day into family fun and your kids will feel like part of the team! Added bonus: this will keep you entertained even the game doesn't.

MATERIALS FOR FOOTBALL

2 sheets of Brown Felt

White Felt for trim on football

Handsewing needle

Thread

White Crochet or Embroidery Floss

Poly-fil

Glue Stick (Optional)

A free Felt Football and Flag Set Template, printed and cut out (This pattern has a 1"/ 4CM test square. Measure the test square, and if it does not measure correctly, check your print scaling options.)

SIZE

7 x 3"

MAKE THE FOOTBALL

CUT

Using the Mini Football Template, cut 4 ball pieces, 8 end stripes, and one center strip.

EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that only high school and college footballs have the white stripes. The NFL football does not. So for all of you purists out there, please omit the stripes!

EMBELLISH

Following the pictures as a guide, pin and stitch a white stripe 1.25" from each tip of the football using a straight stitch and some white thread. Alternately, you could glue it.

MAKE THE FOOTBALL

Take two ball pieces and place them with the Right Sides Facing Together and align the stripes. Pin and stitch around the outside edges of one side from tip to tip, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat with the remaining two pieces.

Take the two halves, and place them with the Right Sides Facing Together and again aligning the stripes. Pin and begin stitching just before the white stripe and continue stitching around the entire ball just past the bottom white stripe, leaving a 3 inch opening in-between the stripes.

Turn the ball right side out and give it a tug to straighten the seams. Stuff the ball, beginning at each tip, until it is firm. (It helps to use just a little stuffing at a time, to keep it from looking lumpy). Handstitch the opening closed.

To finish, place the center strip along the hand-stitched closing. Sometimes when sewing with kids, I use a bit of glue to hold felt in place while stitching. Pins can be tricky for them to work with. Thread the needle with Crochet Thread or Embroidery Floss and knot both ends to form a double thread. We want these "laces" to look real!

Begin stitching by piercing the football and tucking the knot under the center strip as shown in the picture above. Now stitch from side to side, down the length of the center strip. Knot the thread, bury it in the football and trim.

Warning: This ball will get tossed! You might want to do this project away from the TV, lamps, windows, or beer.

PENALTY FLAGS

MATERIALS FOR PENALTY FLAGS

Yellow Felt or Fabric

String

Lollipops

MAKE THE PENALTY FLAGS

Cut a 5-6" circle out of felt. Cutting can be tricky for kids. It helps to have an adult draw the circle onto the felt and cut a square around it. Then try having the child do the "precision cutting".

Place the lollipop in the center and wrap the felt around it and tie. SCORE!

FLAG AND BELT SET

FLAG AND BELT SET

This one can be made lots of different ways, depending on your (or your child's) skill level and what materials you may have available. I used elastic so that the belt wouldn't be tied around some smaller person's neck. You may have children that behave:) in that case you could use a sash or even a piece of fabric!

MATERIALS FOR FLAG SET

2 Sheets of Felt

Scrap Felt for embellishing

Needle

Thread

Velcro, either Sew on or Adhesive is fine

3/4" Elastic, 2 yards will make 2-3 belts, depending on the size of your child.

Glue Stick (optional)

A free Felt Football and Flag Set Template, printed and cut out, (This pattern has a 1"/ 4CM test square. Measure the test square, and if it does not measure correctly, check your print scaling options.)

CUT

Using the Flag Template, cut 2 flag pieces, and two long stripes out of felt.

EMBELLISH

Following the pictures as a guide, pin and stitch a white stripe from the top of each flag down the center using a straight stitch and some white thread. Alternately, you could glue the strip of felt. Repeat for the remaining flag.

MAKING THE FLAG AND BELT

Fold the top edge of the flag one inch toward the back side. Pin and stitch across. Repeat for the second flag.

To make the elastic belt, measure your child's waist and add 2" inches. You will want this to fit comfortably over clothes and even a jacket. Following the picture as a guide, overlap the edges, pin and stitch. Now its time to place the velcro on the belt. Cut 2 pieces of velcro and using the loop side (the soft side) stitch or adhere each piece to the belt about 3" apart.

Stitch or adhere the hook side (the rough side) to the top back center of each flag. *If you are using the "glue type" velcro, allow the glue to set before using.

A very special thanks to Amy at A Lively Affair and WTKR Coast Live for featuring this on the "Big Game" segment. Thank you for letting me be part of the fun!

I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial. Please be sure to tag me @hwakefielddayton on Instagram or use #stitchedmakers to show off your awesome skills.

XO,

Hilarie