This free football pattern for scrapbooking can be used to make your own scrapbook page embellishments for sports pages. You could also use it to create fun football themed invitations for parties. The pattern is very simple making it easy to cut out and assemble. You can add extra dimension to the finished piece with a bit of hand stitching or you can simple draw pen lines to make it quick and easy. Create a large size football to use as a page background similar to those found in Large Paper Piecing Patterns and Layouts for Scrapbooking or small ones for a page border.
1. Free Football Pattern for Scrapbooking
Ludens
To get started making a football for your next scrapbook page or greeting card, you will want to save the free football pattern to your computer. To save the pattern, simply click on the image shown here and a full-size pattern will appear in a new window. Right click on that image and select "save as" to select a place on your computer where you would like to store your free scrapbook patterns. You can insert the football pattern into a Word document to make it smaller or larger as needed before printing it. You can find some of my favorite free patterns for scrapbooking in the article Free Scrapbook Page Embellishment Patterns.
2. Cut Out Football Pattern Pieces and Trace to Cardstock
Ludens
I usually print my patterns on white cardstock. It is inexpensive and readily available. This way I can save the pattern piece for future use, by placing them in a labeled envelope and use them again and again. First, trace the full football shape on brown cardstock using the broad tip of a dark brown scrapbook pen. Next, use the inside tracing lines piece of the pattern to trace the two arching lines down the inside of the football.
3. Add Holes to Football Piece for Stitching
Ludens
Next, continue using the Tracing and Holes template provided with the pattern to place one line of holes for stitching down the length of the football. Each of those holes will require two more. One right on the traced line and one just opposite the line as shown in this and the next images. To make hole punching easier, I place the piece on an upside-down mousepad and then make the holes with an office push pin.
4. Add White Stripes to Football and Then Stitch
Ludens
Once the holes have been created, you can cut out and add the white stripes to the football. Stitch the holes using 6 strand cross stitch floss. For the finished example I stitching with brown but for the example shown here I used white. Either one looks great on the football. If you do not want to take the time to hand-stitch the football you could simply skip poking the holes and use a pen to create faux stitching lines.
For hand-stitching tips read 6 Tips for Hand Stitching on Scrapbook Pages. Or you can also watch the hand-stitching video that I have created to help you learn to stitch on your scrapbook pages.
5. Place Foam Tape to the Back of the Football for Depth
Ludens
When you have completed the stitched lines, you may want to flip the football over and add double-sided foam tape to the back to give the finished piece depth and dimension.
6. Completed Football for Scrapbooking
Ludens
To give the finished football even more depth and a touch of realism, I used some dark brown ink to ink all of the edges and just lightly on the surface. For help with inking visit 8 Tips for Scrapbook Inking.
This completed football is now ready to be added to your next sports themed scrapbook page. To see my most recent football scrapbook page idea read Free Football Word Art and Scrapbook Page Idea.
