I wanted to make something this year to complement the football field table runner that Chica made.  Since we would be laying all the food out on my nice table, I decided to make mats to place under each of the dishes.  Of course, I wanted the mats to be football shaped!  After hitting the fabric store and stealing Chica’s role of white duct tape, I was ready to start.

First, I needed to decide the size of my largest football.  I used one of the plates I would be placing snacks on and put it on top of a sheet of upside-down wrapping paper.  I sketched a basic football shape realizing it would be slightly fatter than a real ball to accommodate the plate.  I then looked at my drawing and picked the fourth of the picture I liked the best.  I folded the paper in half and then in half again so that I ended up with the arc you see in the picture below-right.

Now, I needed to cut the arc out so that when I unfolded the template, it made a uniform football shape.  That was some pretty easy drawing!  Now, I was ready to move on to my fabric.  I picked a faux leather fabric in pigskin chocolate.  I love this fabric.  It is heavyweight and doesn’t fray when you cut it.

Turn your fabric over to the backside and tape your template down in a couple of spots or you can pin it.  Use a pencil to trace around the outline.  Next, take your fabric scissors (I have nice ones now thanks to our “Tools of the Trade” sewing video) and cut out the football shape.

This is super easy so far, huh?  Just wait, it gets harder.  Not really, just thought I would try and scare you all.  Now, I am ready to use the stolen white duct tape.  I took one strip a little wider than my football and cut it up the middle.  I used these neat non-stick scissors to cute my tape.  We’ll be giving some away sometime soon!  Anyway, I placed one strip on either side of the football.  Just fold the ends over and attach them to the back.

Now here is the hardest part.  You will need to cut a strip of duct tape into fourths.  Yes, that’s right, cut it in half lengthwise and then cut each half in lengthwise again.  This gives you slightly thinner tape in order to do the stitching across the top.  I know, that’s not really hard but this project is just way too easy for how cute they turn out.  Once you have as many of the large sized footballs you want, cut your template down and make some smaller ones.  I then cut really small ones out of the fabric remnants to make coasters.

Look at how well they work on the table with Chica’s football field runner.  They will give your plates and bowls of snacks a little extra team spirit!  Next year, I think I will work on a centerpiece for the football table.

Planning a big party for Super Bowl XLVII and need more ideas? Bring it all together with a Super Bowl XLVII party pack, keep your drinks chilled in a 6′ inflatable goal post cooler, and let the armchair quarterbacks in your group have fun during the game with their own penalty flags!