How to DIY your own Team Spirit Pompoms

Hello fellow sports fans!

How are your football teams doing so far this season? My Badgers lost one they shouldn’t have over the weekend, and the Packers ended in a tie. Ugh!

No matter which sport or team you follow, we all like to watch the games and cheer on our teams! So today I’m going to show you how you to turn some inexpensive plastic tablecloths into fun pompoms for your next game! They make great table decorations, but they are also functional for shaking and yelling “go team”!

Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Collect the Supplies 

Here’s what you need:

• Plastic tablecloths in your team colors
  • Get the long rectangular ones (54” x 108” is a common size)
• Sharp scissors
• Ruler (optional)
• Masking tape
• Electrical or decorative duct tape
• Ribbon or string (optional for handles)

Step 2 – Cut the PomPom Strips  

• Take the first tablecloth out of the packaging
• Unfold it until you just one fold remaining (it will be 108” long x 27” wide)
• Cut along the long folded edge
  

  
• Fold in half, lining up the long sides (so the pieces are 108” by about 13”)
• Cut along the long folded side again (making sure you are cutting through all of the layers)
• Fold again, aligning the short ends this time
• Cut along the short, folded edge
• Fold again, lining up the short ends
• Cut through the folds
• Fold in half one last time, aligning the short ends
• Cut through the fold one more time
• You should have a stack of squares
  

  
• Repeat the entire process for the other tablecloth

Step 3 – Make Piles of the Squares

• Make 2 piles of squares, alternating the colors as you stack them
  

  

  

Step 4 – Create the Tassels

• Set one stack aside
• Place the other stack on your work surface
• Take a long piece of masking tape, and lay it across the center of the stack
  • The tape holds the stack in place, and marks your stopping point for cutting
• Use the ruler to measure in at least 1”
• Cut the first tassel, making sure you are cutting through all of the layers, and stopping just before you hit the masking tape
  

  
• Continue cutting the tassels
  • Just estimate the width – they don’t need to be perfect!
• Flip the stack around, and repeat with the other side
  

  

 Step 5 – Binding the Center

• Carefully remove the masking tape
  • NOTE: I couldn’t remove my tape cleanly, so I threw away the top layer
• Cut a piece of electrical tape about 1 foot long, and set it where you can reach it
  • NOTE: I used really wide colored duct tape, so I cut mine in half lengthwise
    

    
• Accordion fold the center of the stack, using all of the layers
• Use the tape to bind all of the layers together in the center, wrapping all the way around, and pulling tightly!
• Optional – take 20-24” piece of ribbon or string, and tie it tightly over the tape, to use as a handle
  

  
• Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the second pompom

Step 6 – Fluffing the Pompoms

• Get comfortable, because this is the most time consuming part of the process!
• Taking 2 tassels at a time, pull them in opposite directions from each other
• Continue this process for all of the tassels on one side, changing up the directions you are pulling
• One you get about half way through one side, if helps to turn the whole thing over to work on the other side
• Repeat on the other end
• Shake out the pompom. Twist and pull any pieces that may be laying flat

There you go! Comment below and let me know if you decided to make a set!

Until next week,

Carrie

P.S. There are so many game day decorations you can make with plastic tablecloths, so check out these ideas:

Tassel Garland

Wreath