Gifts for sports fans
Tennis racket covers are good gifts for both grown-ups and kids who
play tennis. Trace the tennis racket and part of the handle on a piece
of paper. Add inch (17 mm) all around. Cut out two pieces of felt, using
the pattern as a guide. Cut a felt strip 1j inches (43 mm) wide and long
enough to go around the racket.
Use yarn to sew the bottom piece of the cover to the strip (see
overcast stitch, page 156). Then sew the top to the strip. Along one top
edge, leave an opening large enough to slip the racket inside the cover.
Overcast the open edge for decoration.
For ties, make eight 7-inch (15-cm) braids (see braid, page 181). Sew
four braids on the side and top of the cover, along the open edge. Glue
on felt decorations.
Sports towels can be used by anybody who plays a sport. Decorate the
towel with a bowling ball and pins for a bowler, clubs and flags for a
golfer, bats and balls for a baseball player, rackets and balls for a
tennis buff, or a fish for someone who likes to go fishing.
Cut out the decorations from soft cotton cloth. Pin them to a hand
towel, turning under the edges. Sew the shapes to the towel (see
overcast stitch, page 156).
Golf Club mitts to cover the heads of the wood clubs are the perfect
gift for a golfer. You can make these mitts from 12-inch (30-cm) felt
squares. You’ll need two squares for each mitt.
First, find out which woods your golfer has—No. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Cut out seven felt “I’s” and two “V’s” to make the numerals I, II, III,
IV, V. Glue a numeral to the front half of each mitt. Then make four
7-inch (17-cm) braids (see braid, page 181). Fold each braid in
half. To make loops, sew one folded braid to the back half of each mitt,
about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the top.
Place the two halves of each mitt with the wrong sides together.
Overcast the mitts with yarn along the sides and top (see overcast
stitch, page 156).
To tie the mitts together, make one 24-inch (60-cm) braid. Thread the
braid through the loops on the mitts and tie the ends together.
