World Cup

You can download a pdf copy of the original magazine pages for this project here, World Cup.

Football teams change their colours almost every year so you could end up making a few of these. Why not sew one with the home and one with the away strip?)

Even if you hate football, the chances are that at least some of the time this summer you will be caught up in the drama of the World Cup. So why not go the whole 90mins and make this World Cup throw. It won’t take long (maybe just a bit more than one match) and will make the man of the house truly happy!

Getting Started

Figure 1: Piece the shirts

1. Make the centre panel with a red shirt and a blue shirt. From each shirt fabric (red and blue) cut the following:
   • A One piece 10 1⁄2 x 14 1⁄2in
   • B Two pieces 4 1⁄2 x 3in
   From the green 1006 cut:
   • C Four pieces 3 x 10 1⁄2in
   • D Three pieces 14 1⁄2 x 3in
   • E Two pieces 37 1⁄2 x 5in
   • F Two pieces 5 x 3in
2. Working with one red set and one blue set, stitch the four B (sleeve) pieces to the C (background), then to each side of the shirts. See Figure 1.

3. Cut a paper pattern for the neck opening using the template. Fold each shirt in half lengthwise and place the pattern on the fold. Cut out the neck and clip the curves. Turn under 1⁄4in around the neck edge and press.
4. Place the 5 x 3in piece of background behind the neck edge and appliqué in place by hand or machine. Trim away the extra fabric on the back to 1⁄4in below the neck edge.
5. Add the D background pieces between the shirts and at each edge. Then add the E strips top and bottom. See Figure 2.

Figure 2: Centre panel

Borders and Assembly

1. For the gold border: Cut four 1 1⁄4in strips across the gold fabric. Sew to two opposite sides of the shirt panel. Press and trim to match the shirt panel. Sew the other two strips onto the remaining sides, press and trim to fit.
2. Cut four 4 1⁄2in strips across the sport print fabric. Measure the long side of the quilt top and trim two strips to that length (it should be 39in).
3. Cut two 4 7⁄8in squares of each shirt fabric. Cut in half on the diagonal. Sew these red and blue triangles into squares consisting of two triangles. Make four squares.
4. Sew these triangle squares to the two ends of the strips cut in step 2. Keep the same colour fabric to the centre each time.
5. Sew the two remaining border strips to the short sides of the quilt top. Trim to fit. Sew the strips with the triangle squares to the top and bottom edges. See Figure 3.

Quilting and Finishing

1. Layer the pieced top over the wadding and backing. Pin or tack the layers together. The RS of the top and the backing should be on the outside of the sandwich with the wadding in the middle as filling. Quilt by hand or machine. Sue quilted the markings for a football pitch with white thread as well as quilting around the shirts. Most of these are straight lines so could be drawn on first with a light coloured pencil. Ask a football fan to draw you a pitch diagram if you are unsure. Trim the wadding and backing to match the top after it is quilted.
2. From the red shirt fabric cut four 2in strips across the width of the fabric (you may need more strips if you have already cut into the width of the fabric). Sew into one long strip. Fold in half lengthwise and press.
3. Bind the quilt by sewing to the front of the quilt, raw edges even. Mitre the corners, or sew each edge separately, whichever style of binding you prefer. Turn to the back and finish by hand by sewing the folded edge to the back of the quilt. Include a hanging sleeve across the top of the reverse side if this is to be a wallhanging.
4. Add a label to the back which includes at least your name and the date and why not add a table for the match results too. These could be added as the tournament progresses with indelible ink. Block the quilt by pinning tightly into the carpet on the floor and spraying lightly with water. Allow to dry overnight.
5. This could be adapted to suit school football or netball teams as well as other football leagues. Why not add the number of your child’s favourite player to the shirt. You could even applique his name on one shirt and the name of his hero on the other. This is guaranteed to make you really popular this summer.

Figure 3: Assemble the borders and football pitch markings

First published in Popular Patchwork July 2006