This DIY recycled denim baseball is made from old jeans! A fun, easy, cheap and eco-friendly way to upcycle your jeans!
Make this recycled denim baseball as soft fabric ball for your baby or toddler, for your cat or dog. It’s the perfect toy for a dog that loves to fetch – like my GSD pup Khaleesi! The recycled denim baseball is a safe alternative to the usual tennis ball.
Related: 5 DIY No-Sew Recycled Denim Dog Toys
History Of The Baseball
Baseball is a game with a long history, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages! In the Victorian era, baseballs were often homemade: Yarn or fabric scraps were wrapped around small round objects, such as rocks or walnuts, similar to Victorian rag balls.
Related: Victorian Rag Ball – Tutorial
While early baseballs (before 1910) had a rubber core, today baseballs have a cork core. Wool yarn and cotton yarn is then tightly wound around the core. And after that the cowhide cover is stitched around. Even today, baseballs are still sewn by hand! On this website are pictures of antique Edwardian baseballs.
The Baseball Stitch
The stitch that is used to sew the two halves of the baseball cover together, is know today as “baseball stitch”. However, in the Victorian era, the stitch was called “antique seam stitch” or “old German stitch”. This stitch is great for joining two fabric pieces together! I’ve already used the stitch for my medieval stockings. On this site, you can learn more about the stitch.
To sew the baseball stitch, ‘pointing your needle upwards from below, insert it, two threads from the selvedge, first on the wrong side, then on the right, first through one selvedge, then through the other, setting the stitches two threads apart. In this manner, the thread crosses itself, between the two selvedges, and a perfectly flat seam is produced.’ (Encyclopedia Of Needlework, 1886)
DIY Recycled Denim Baseball – Tutorial
You’ll need:
- old jeans
- fabric scraps (stuffing)
- free baseball PDF pattern
- needle and thread
- scissors
Step 1: The Baseball PDF Pattern
Print out the baseball PDF pattern (the figure-8 pattern piece).
Then cut out 2 pieces adding a half inch seam allowance.
Step 2 & 3: Pin & Baste
Pin the two denim pieces together as in the picture above. Then baste the two fabric pieces with long running stitches leaving a small opening at one side. Remove the pins as you sew.
After basting clip the seam allowances every half inch or so without cutting the seam. Then turn the denim baseball inside out.
Step 4: The Baseball Stitch
Sew the pieces together with the baseball stitch. Leave a small opening for stuffing.
Step 5: Stuff The Recycled Denim Baseball
Stuff the recycled denim baseball with fabric scraps. Use knit fabric or fleece fabric scraps for a soft ball, and woven fabric for a hard ball. Then sew the opening closed using the baseball stitch.