Free Pattern: Batter Up! Spoolkeep

It's Baseball Season in Cardinal Nation

Here in St. Louis, you're Cardinal Nation or you're not, but we don't want to leave anyone out.  For any team you cheer, celebrate baseball season with a new Pin-Mini set -- and use the free instructions to make a baseball pincushion.

We've shown our Spoolkeep Pincushions before--a spool and a felted wool ball.  Now we've added a bit of embroidery to create a baseball.  You'll love how easy this is -- just draw the design in red marker.  If you like, add embroidery stitches along the traced line.

Gather These Supplies

• jpm515 Cardinal Nation
• jpm516 Play Ball!
• 1-3cm white felted wool ball
• 2-quarters (coins)
• masking tape
• permanent marker, red
• 1 1/8" wood spool
• 8" narrow ribbon or baker's twine
• Hot glue gun
• Optional: DMC floss, color #321 and sharp embroidery needle

Batter Up!

Use short strips of masking tape to cover half of each quarter.  

Sandwich the felt ball between the two quarters, arranging the coins to be parallel to each other and lining up the taped edges. The red lines on the second photo show how to position the quarters.

Use the red marker to draw a half circle on the felt ball by tracing around a quarter from one edge of the tape to the other.  Without moving the coins, flip your hand over and trace another half circle with the second coin.

Remove the coins.  You have two red "smiles" exactly opposite each other.

Round Another Base

 Position a quarter so you can trace another half circle that connects the two "smiles."  See the black arrows in the left photo below? The tape line runs from arrow to arrow and the tracing edge of the quarter curves up--while the "smiles" curve down.  Draw the marker line around the quarter.  Repeat to connect the "smiles" on the other side.

Homerun Finish

Embroider red stitches over the traced lines.  Use two strands of floss and a sharp needle.  We discovered that a running stitch is the best way to embroider on the ball without distorting the shape--each stitch 1/4"--then stitch around the ball again with another row of running stitches to fill in between the first.  Now you have a solid line.  

Follow the steps 1-4 to add "fly" stitches along the line.

Squeeze a little hot glue around the hole at the top of your spool.  Press the baseball in place and hold until the glue cools.  Tie the ribbon or twine around the spool and snip the ends diagonally.  

Add your Pin-Mini Cardinal Nation or Play Ball!

Enjoy the season!