Custom Time: Between the Stitches

Custom Time: Between the Stitches - Printable Version

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Custom Time: Between the Stitches - mouschi3 - 09-02-2014

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: 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:

[Image: 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:

[Image: 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.

[Image: 20140831_165339.jpg]

I got a bunch of different colors of twine ... (remember the card in the background? [URL="http://www.beckett.com/forums/thread-1564690.html"]Everything's better at Mouschi's![/URL])

[Image: 20140902_153013.jpg]

And went to work ...

[Image: 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.

[Image: 20140901_135442.jpg]

After that, I did the design work, and had my son model them ... as glasses ...
[Image: 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)
[Image: 20140902_152432.jpg]

Red & Blue on white w/silver holofoil
[Image: 20140902_152046.jpg]

Black on black with gold holofoil
[Image: 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!)

[Image: 20140902_152821.jpg]

Finally, classic red on white with silver holofoil...
[Image: 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 ...
[Image: 20140902_151747.jpg]

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

[Image: 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 ...

[Image: 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

[Image: 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
[Image: 20140903_115225.jpg]

and, finally ....

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

[Image: 20140903_113622.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!

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - prymetyme1035 - 09-02-2014

those look awesome. you do some really amazing work on these cards

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - rollx8 - 09-02-2014

Sweet touch to the classic sweet spots Smile

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - kelbysdaddy - 09-02-2014

Nice work bro! You're going to have quite the stack to take to the next canseco signing. Does he charge per item at his signings?

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - jwhuckfeldt - 09-02-2014

You are truly gifted. Those cards look amazing and you tell a great story!

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - yankeesjetsfan - 09-02-2014

I have been wanting to do something like this ever since Upper Deck dropped the ball and had synthetic leather in their cards instead of rawhide. I just don't have the talent to pull something like this off.

Great job.

Mike

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - thepointguard_10 - 09-02-2014

Great stuff man! I always love reading your posts, and this is sick!

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - DrMitchJ - 09-03-2014

Once again, Tanner ... Awesome!

Can't wait to see them signed!

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - wordsense - 09-03-2014

You are easily my favorite member here. (no offense guys!)

RE: Custom Time: Between the Stitches - mouschi3 - 09-03-2014

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

[Image: 20140902_222752.jpg]

and, finally ....

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

[Image: 20140903_113622.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!