Crafts for Sports Fans: Football Jersey Mouse Pad

An old football fan jersey paves the way for this fun and adorable mouse pad project! Perfect for a sports themed home office or teenage bedroom, this craft is simple to make and perfect for beginning crafters. Also, do to the ease in which this craft is done, help from children is acceptable. (Use adult hands for the cutting processes.)

For this project, you will need:

– An old football fan jersey

– Fabric scissors

– 1/4 thick craft foam in a coordinating color

– Adhesive spray

– Sports lettering stencils

– Artist’s paintbrush

– White acrylic paint

– Ruler

– Craft roller

– Extra fine point black permanent marker

– Craft knife

– Self healing mat

– Thin cardboard

Lay the old football fan jersey flat on your work area. Measure a place on the jersey that has no lettering into a eight and a half inch by seven inch rectangle. Mark the rectangle with an extra fine point permanent marker. Cut out the shape using fabric scissors. Discard the rest of the jersey, or save for another craft.

Place the sheet of 1/4 inch thick craft foam flat on the self healing mat. Use the ruler and pen to measure and mark another rectangle that is eight and a half inches by seven inches. Use the craft knife to cut out the foam.

Measure and mark the sheet of thin cardboard into a rectangle that is the same size. Cut the cardboard using scissors or a craft knife.

Spray the foam rectangle with a moderate amount of adhesive spray. Adhere the fabric jersey cutout to the foam. Smooth the fabric with your fingers or a craft roller to prevent wrinkles. Allow the adhesive to dry completely.

Spray the cardboard with additional adhesive. Adhere the foam and jersey combination rectangle to the cardboard. Trim away any excess fabric or foam with a craft knife.

Place the sports lettering stencils over the mouse pad. With an artist’s paintbrush and white acrylic paint, add a sports related design. A few ideas include sports numbers, names, sports team names, “play ball” , etc. Allow the paint to dry completely before using the mouse pad.

TIP: This project is perfect for any football fan’s office! To make this mouse pad a truly unique gift idea, add the recipient’s name. Spell the lettering out as though you would on the back of a football jersey using the white paint. Dry completely.