Total Time 1 hour Ages school-age
You'll have an all-star player football costume as fast as you can say "hut, hut, hike!" Simple pieces of clothing and some fancy stick-on embellishment will make him (or her) ready for game day.
by Mia Cronan
What you'll need
- Grey sweatpants
- Large, plain white T-shirt
- Athletic socks
- Black electrical tape
- Thick fabric scraps in a contrasting color (for jersey numbers)
- Craft batting
- Black eyeliner
- Helmet (borrowed or cheap store-bought)
- Wristbands (optional)
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Helpful Tip:
1. We used black velvet for the jersey numbers, and it worked very well. 2. You may want to add numbers to the jersey's sleeves, using a permanent marker. 3. Quilt batting made great shoulder pads. Mia Cronan is a craft freelancer and mother of five based in Ohio.
How to make it
Pants: Place a strip of black electrical down both sides (outside) of the pants (see image).
Jersey: Wrap both sleeves with two stripes of electrical tape, easing it into place as you hold the sleeve flat and then turn it over.
Cut out a number of your choice from the contrasting fabric scrap and hot glue to the front of the "jersey," placing a sheet of paper or cardboard between the front and back of shirt.
Accessories: When dressing your child, push the sweatpants up a bit, or stretch the athletic socks over the pants leg, to create a padded look.
Use the batting cut as desired to form "pads" under the shoulders of the shirt. It may be necessary to pin or stitch in place (see image).
Add black sneakers, wristbands, the helmet, and of course, the football!
Face: Complete the look by using the black make-up, smudge thick lines under your football player's eyes, to create that ready-to-play look.
