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Custom Time: Between the Stitches

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mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
FCB App Users: Can't view pics? Go here! http://tanmanbaseballfan.blogspot.com/2014/09/custom-time-between-stistches.html

One card I have always loved the look of are Sweet Spot Signature cards. I think the idea was brilliant. Put a baseball cover embedded in a card, and have the player sign. Greatness!

But the question looms: Do they really use actual baseballs?

Upper Deck had various output issues. As you look at them through the years, you see different outcomes. Here is one that they did use a real baseball:

image-8.jpg


Kinda scrunched up. That isn't mind thing (though, if I had that card, I'm sure I'd be happy!)

They also apparently tried a different type of material, but the signature wouldn't hold up:

Untitled-1.jpg


I've been wanting to try my own thing for a little while now, and after several failed attempts of looking for the right type of leather for it, I thought to myself "why leather?"

I knew I wanted something textured, but this past week, I picked up some material, as well as some different types of pens and markers to see how well they worked together. I love blue, red, gold and silver. The material I picked up was a piece of black, and a piece of white. It has a bit of a pearlescent tone to it, and the texture seems like it will do wonderfully as a placeholder.

I even did some tests on how various inks would look after getting my creations autographed:

20140902_161541.jpg


I think they look great!

So after many, many hours of trying to perfect a baseball cover template with holes in the right area, I ended up making several to bind them together for a thick piece, so twine could stand up to them.

20140831_165339.jpg


I got a bunch of different colors of twine ... (remember the card in the background? Everything's better at Mouschi's!)

20140902_153013.jpg


And went to work ...

20140901_090721.jpg


I wanted to do several flavors. Classic red on white, alternating double stitched green & gold on black, single alternating stitched red and blue on white and finally, black on black.

20140901_135442.jpg


After that, I did the design work, and had my son model them ... as glasses ...
20140902_153837.jpg


Here is how it all came out!

Green & Gold on black w/gold holofoil(I'm starting out with this because I like it the least)
20140902_152432.jpg


Red & Blue on white w/silver holofoil
20140902_152046.jpg


Black on black with gold holofoil
20140902_152733.jpg


Here is another shot to give you an idea of how the texture is (man this is gonna look sweet signed in gold!)

20140902_152821.jpg


Finally, classic red on white with silver holofoil...
20140902_151337.jpg


If you look closely in the logo, you see I did something on it and made it look like the logo was being stitched ...
20140902_151747.jpg


The ball in the foreground is also autographed by Canseco (thanks to photoshop!)

20140902_151820.jpg


As a matter of fact, the entire picture is manipulated. This is a few pictures, with various treatments. It initially was a picture of a ball close up, and a picture of a zoomed out stadium with a clear sky. I merged the two, to make it look like a picture was taken of a Canseco autographed baseball from the outfield, which shows the rest of the stadium from the baseball's perspective ... with some pretty wicked looking sky effects.

You can't really see what all is going on too well when you are just looking at the pictures of the cards, so here is a shot of the photoshop work ...

aaron.jpg


I have not fully produced them yet - I just staged them here to show what they would look like. The odds are, I will be creating 1-3 more different designs so I can have different types of sweet spot type of cards. For now though, I really like how the design work came together on this first one! Needless to say, I cannot wait to get these puppies signed.

UPDATE: I have now fully created 2 of them. One is a tweak from the original design, and the other is completely new.

First, I had to make the frames to house the stitched pieces

20140902_222752.jpg


and ... voila! (chuckle) I say that as if it took a few minutes...nah ... all last night and all morning to come up with the following:

Between the Stitches Gold Holofoil Black Stitch w/soon to be gold signature
20140903_115225.jpg


20140903_003613.jpg


and, finally ....

Signed & Stitched Silver Holofoil Green & Gold Stitch w/soon to be Silver signature

20140903_113622.jpg


20140903_112822.jpg


I may just get the other 2 white faced ones signed before I actually make the cards, I'm not sure. I can always build around them later!
 
Last edited:

200lbhockeyplayer

Active member
Aug 10, 2008
11,049
2
I like the concept of using something other than leather.

That said, it is possible to get a fairly creaseless sweet spot panel off of a regular OMLB piece...just takes time.

aaron-sweet-spot.jpg
 

Brewer Andy

Active member
Aug 10, 2008
9,634
21
Man your stuff always looks great! I don't remember, have you done a knob or barrel yet? Because I've got a couple bats here......
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
Personally like the Gold / Green with Black panel the best . I like the tie in with the team colors though the grass in the background. Blue n Red would look good w / Rangers uni etc.

Ryan
 

ASTROBURN

Active member
Jun 23, 2011
4,576
0
Santa Cruz, CA
I think they look excellent. I Can picture a Bagwell one with Gold stitching, dark blue leather, gold paint... Ahh, the possibilities.
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
UPDATE: I have now fully created 2 of them. One is a tweak from the original design, and the other is completely new.

First, I had to make the frames to house the stitched pieces

20140902_222752.jpg


and ... voila! (chuckle) I say that as if it took a few minutes...nah ... all last night and all morning to come up with the following:

Between the Stitches Gold Holofoil Black Stitch w/soon to be gold signature
20140903_115225.jpg


20140903_003613.jpg


and, finally ....

Signed & Stitched Silver Holofoil Green & Gold Stitch w/soon to be Silver signature

20140903_113622.jpg


20140903_112822.jpg


I may just get the other 2 white faced ones signed before I actually make the cards, I'm not sure. I can always build around them later!
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
I like that last one the best so far!

Thanks! I think I do too. It is funny how the design itself can turn my least favorite stitch job into my favorite at the moment.
 

RStadlerASU22

Active member
Jan 2, 2013
8,881
11
Yes , that Yellow/Green was my favorite stitch and without that Grass background it looks even better

Ryan
 

mouschi

Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
May 18, 2012
3,105
170
thanks for the head's up!
 

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