Team Gear for Little Fans

Football fans love to dress their children in team apparel.  These tiny, expensive togs come in such a limited variety that most fans are likely to see their child’s same duds being worn by the majority of the tots at the game.

Customized ready-to-wear provides your little one with unique, affordable garb that sets him apart from the other junior fans.  You just need the visionary eye of a bargain shopper, an eye which can spot team colors an aisle away.

This 100% cotton (VERY important for Florida infantwear) orange and blue Ralph Lauren Polo baby suit, originally priced at $70, was marked down to $17 on the clearance rack.  There were others in different colors, many of which I recognized as being suitable for other teams.  But hey, I only do Gator gear so they were still hanging when I was done shopping.

On these purchased outfits, the pockets were embroidered with the Lauren polo player. With the pocket removed, it was easy to take out the embroidery  using my trusty Olfa art knife.  It requires a gentle touch, but can slice through the bobbin threads allowing the embroidery to be picked out.

Next, the pocket was spritzed with water and left to rest for some time to allow the threads to draw back in place.  Then it was pressed before   embroidering the retired fighting Gator.   The pocket was then sewn back onto the one-piece suit.  I wish I had taken the time to resew the buttons with orange thread.  That would have added a nice pop of color down the front.

So many  designs could easily work for other team mascots, i.e. tiger cub, bulldog, knight, elephant, longhorn (for you, Millie ;-)), train or whatever. (Check earlier college football post for embroidery collections with junior mascot possibilities.) In lieu of a mascot, the school initials or name could be embroidered on the pocket.  Just a football with the team name embroidered above or around it on a team color would make a dandy game day outfit.

Few teams have unusual colors so finding appropriate solids is easy.  Combined with embroidery or appliqué, any single color can be joined with the other, creating a garment or outfit in team colors.

 Two pairs of orange bib shortalls qualify as one of my best finds. There was some juvenile embroidery on a pocket on one leg but removing it would have been too hard.  So I embroidered a patch and sewed that over the existing design.

I also used Gator blue thread to stitch over the bar tacks.  This added just another little touch to the shortalls, making them look even more like they were made to be Gator attire.  These are for Alastair and, with any luck, a  little sister some time in the future.

My favorite touch was the fighting Gator on the back.  On Alastair’s white golf shirt, I did a jeans stitch in blue along the cuff.  I bought two of these shortalls, the only ones availabl , both size 2.  Two of these shortalls were purchased for our older grandchildren, Laurel and Robert, who were 1 and 2 at the time.  But they didn’t fit the children for football season, so they were put aside.  The sister white tee had puffed sleeves and no suitable place for further embellishment.  The outfits were two-of-a-kind.   I’m sure they would have been the only children in these duds.

Denim bib overalls or shortalls would work just as well.  My good friend Judy Day provided me with the inspiration, as she had done this some time ago on overalls for her grandson, but used her beloved Tennessee T.

Speaking of Tennessee, our Gators play them tomorrow.  It’s a long day so we’ll need a lot of food.  We’re doing sloppy Joes, French bread and spinach dip, fruit salad, fresh salsa and corn chips, veggie tray, apple slices (apple pie made in a cookie sheet and drizzled with a vanilla frosting  glaze),   orange and blue cupcakes and cold veggie pizza.

The pizza is one of our favorite game day recipes.   The name sounds less than appealing but try it, you’ll like it!    I first prepared it when Rebecca went vegetarian but all the meat eaters like it as much as she does.  Trust me, you will love this.

I hope you have a great fall Saturday watching your favorite college team.  It’s good family fun.~~~~~~

Fresh Vegetable Pizza

2 cans crescent rolls or 2 packages ready-made pizza crust
1 (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup low-calorie mayonnaise
1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
1/2 head fresh broccoli, remove stems, finely chop tops
1 bunch spring onions with green tops, thinly sliced
1 small basket cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, diced finely
4 ounces (1 cup) grated cheddar cheese or shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 17×11-inch rectangular cookie sheet or a 16-inch round pizza pan. Thoroughly mix cream cheese, mayonnaise and package of Ranch dressing mix. Set aside while preparing and baking crust. Spread rolls or crust evenly over pan, pressing seams to seal. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Cool completely.

Prepare the vegetables by dicing finely, which will make slicing the finished pizza easier. Each vegetable should be placed in a separate container until ready to decorate the crust.  Slice grape tomatoes in half or slice cherry tomatoes into rounds the size of a nickel.