... I’d create a line of Auburn Baby Gear

The Context
Our upcoming trip to the 2005 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament is right around the corner. So, we’re scrambling to get all of our stuff ready. One of the things we “need” is a more compact stroller to shuttle Fuller between our hotel and the Georgia Dome. The Ga. Dome has a baggage-check station where we can leave a stroller, but we don’t want to wrestle with a full sized stroller while traveling. So we decided that an umbrella stroller would fit the bill perfectly. And of course, no ordinary stroller will do.

No Ordinary Stroller
We (actually, “I”) wanted a stroller that would tell the world, “War Eagle!” As you can guess, there aren’t many stores in Chattanooga that sell such a stroller. (Actually, there aren’t any.) I even asked my old friend, the Internet, if he knew of any, but he practically laughed in my face. He seemed to get really hung-up on the fact that "auburn" is also a color. (Stupid Internet) So, I decided to pimp-out a standard umbrella stroller.

Wal-Mart has a nice selection of umbrella strollers under $15. I selected a model that had a white frame, with navy blue trim. The fabric was kind of childish, but that wouldn’t matter for long.

Next, I purchased 1 square yard of heavyweight burnt orange fabric from Hancock Fabrics. I was going to get some new straps and buckles, but since the existing ones are navy blue, I didn't have to.

I unscrewed the existing stroller seat and used a razor blade to removed the bias tape edging and the safety straps. I used the original seat fabric as a template for the new one.

Sewing on the bias tape edging was definitely the hardest part. I had to re-sew several spots where the needle missed the seat fabric. After a few hours, I had sewed the edging and the safety straps onto the new seat.

At this point, I could have attached the new seat and called it quits. But the stroller still didn’t say, “I pull for Auburn.” So, I got on the computer and whipped up a copy of Auburn’s “Tiger Eye” logo. I printed the logo onto a sheet of iron-on transfer paper. Alli cut out and ironed the logo onto the seat.

After that, it was a simple matter to slip the new seat in to place and screw it to the frame. Now we have arguably the world’s coolest umbrella stroller! Alli says that if someone at the tournament offers to buy the stroller from us, we should consider it. Maybe; if we can use the money to buy a better stroller and modify it too.