Baseball seam necklaces are a trendy sports fad for baseball fans and superstitious ball players alike. Make your own necklace with the stitching strip from a real baseball as a way to celebrate your favorite sport or as a gift for your favorite athlete. Baseball seam necklaces are also a great way to preserve the game ball from a winning series, your child’s first home run or pitching debut, or a foul ball souvenir from a major league baseball game.
Baseball players are among some of the most superstitious athletes, so don’t be surprised in your home-made baseball seam necklace becomes an important part of game day for your athlete.
Home-made stitching seam necklaces can also be made from softballs for those fierce female athletes and softball fans. They won’t have the signature red colors of the baseball seam necklaces, but softball fans will quickly recognize the seams and color or their sport.
Begin with the ball you want to make a seam necklace from. Using a very sharp craft knife or Exacto razor, slice into the ball to the side of the stitching seam. Leave more space for a bigger strip and thicker necklace. Cut closer to the seam for a skinnier necklace, but be careful not to cut the strip in half. Work slowly and carefully. Baseball and softball leather is very hard to cut and you can easily slip with the knife and injure yourself.
Work around the stitching, which goes around the baseball in a complete, unbroken circle. Cut deep into the baseball leather all the way around the stitching. Continue by slicing along the stitching on the other side.
Use the knife to pry the strip of stitching away from the baseball and remove it. It should come off the ball in one complete piece. Look carefully at the strip to find the beginning point of the stitching. It will begin, circle the ball, and end in one point. It is important to only cut through the strip at this point. Otherwise, the seam may unravel from the center.
Cut through the strip at the beginning of the stitching and place the leather piece in water to soak. Let is sit in water for several hours. The longer it soaks, the easier the leather is to work and mold. You may have alternate working the leather with soaking sessions to get the best shaped necklace. Be patient when doing the baseball seam necklace craft.
Remove the leather from the water and begin working the leather into a straight strip. Then twist the seam around itself until you can only see the white leather and red stitching spiraling down the strip. You should not see the rough underside of the leather strip.
When the strip is shaped and spiraled the way you want it to look, attach a necklace fastener to the ends.
