Is it baseball season yet?

This weekend was the Oakland Athletic's Fan Fest and I had an amazing time. The event was completely sold out with 20,000 in attendance. It was packed and raining, but one of the best experiences of my life. Going into Fan Fest I had four things I wanted to accomplish: 1)Autographs, 2)Player photos, 3)Photos with the World Series trophies, and 4)Clubhouse tour. Unfortunately because it was packed I was only able to accomplish two of these things. I was only able to attend one autograph session and one player photo session, but that is where it gets amazing. 

On Sunday I finally posted my Take Me Out To The Ball Game post with my idea for the Sonny Gray t-shirt, although it has been written since mid-January. I made the shirt since I wrote the post and was wearing it at Fan Fest on Saturday. The only autograph session I was able to attend just so happened to be with Sonny Gray and Stephen Vogt. The shirt was a success and without gushing too much it was a wonderful experience and opportunity as both a designer and a fan. I don't believe I have ever felt my work appreciated as much as it was on Saturday. The pictures of my shirt are shown here. Don't forget to notice the autograph on the front of the shirt.

 I love my shirt and my autograph, but it made me think what are some ways to protect an autograph on a t-shirt without just putting it on display? I usually just take my autographed clothing and put it in frames or some other display, but I would really like to keep wearing this shirt. Someone suggested Woolite and cold water, but does anyone know if that works?

Still on the buzz of the excitement of this weekend I am dreaming about more projects for baseball games and baseball players. I already have a few more player t-shirts in mind and am resisting the urge to go out and purchase more materials. After all I still have plenty of projects to finish before I start any more. That said I am anxious to get started so my fingers will be in overdrive to finish my projects this week and of course I will post lots of pictures, either on here or on my Facebook page BooBear Designs.

Remember to use promo code FOOTBALL50 on my Etsy shop, BooBear Designs, for 50% off football team hats until February 28th. 

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

Last Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday, which means football is over.
The end to football means the start of baseball season. My New England Patriots lost in the AFL Championship Game and since then I have looked forward to opening day for the Oakland Athletics. As part of my excitement my crafting focus has transitioned from football team hats to baseball hats and team shirts. I am currently working on 4 projects for the Oakland A's season and they are all in various stages of completion. Some will be gifts and others will be sold on Etsy, either in pattern or product form. I don't know which product I am most excited to see completed, but I do know I am ready for all of the projects to be completed. As I write this I am already thinking of more project ideas, which I will probably be sketching soon.

The first project I am working on I thought of during a playoff game in October 2013. After Game 2 of the series, which I was fortunate to watch in person, I was compelled to have a Sonny Gray t-shirt, but when I looked for a shirt online I was unable to find one. Joking with my cousin I came up with the idea for my own Sonny Gray t-shirt. The design is based on a song from the 1970's. I was able to paint my design on a gray t-shirt using fabric paint and freezer paper as a stencil.

The next project was born shortly after this game, after a season's worth of lugging my things around in various bags, without ever being able to store everything. I had a rough idea of what I wanted the bag to look like, but I still needed specifics to make the tote bag truly functional. I started with an inventory list of everything I wanted or needed and then began to sketch out my ideas. I am really pleased with the layout of the bag. I began cutting and sewing the pieces last November, but never finished due to a plumbing emergency. Due to another's human error my toilet ended up broke and my room flooded, which postponed everything and put my craft corner in disarray.

The last two projects are inspired by this month's Fan Fest and the birth of my adorable little cousin. The crochet baseball cap is nearly finished and the yarn is embroidered felt logo is so adorable. I have a rough idea of the baseball hat, but haven't sketched anything or started on this project, beyond actually purchasing the yarn. As always, this and all of my finished projects will be posted on my Facebook design page.

When my craft corner is finally put back together I will definitely be creating more and of course posting more project ideas as well as tutorials. Until then I will post when I can and only projects I can create in my limited space. Be sure to comment below with your own ideas for baseball themed craft projects or projects you want to see in future posts.


Use coupon code FOOTBALL50 at my Etsy Store BooBear Designs for 50% off of my Football Team Hats. This coupon expires February 28th.