I have a fun repurposed baseball wreath in honor of Major League Baseball official opening day. My nephew Bubba has played or coached baseball his entire life. He started out playing at the age of 4. He played little league for years, and actually went to the Sr. Little League World Series in Kissimmee Florida where his team placed second.
So, long story short, his wife Anna wanted to make a baseball wreath for the front door of their new home.
How to make a repurposed baseball wreath from old game balls
Bubba and Anna came over recently with these baseballs to use my gynormous vice in the basement shop.
Carefully drill a hole in the middle of the baseball
Bubba got right to work drilling through the repurposed baseballs with an extra long drill bit.
Thread wire through baseballs
We tested to make sure the coat hanger would go through the middle. This coat hanger isn't a dry cleaner's hanger. It's a vintage hanger made of heavier wire.
A sturdy wire hanger works best for a repurposed baseball wreath
We started out trying to use 14 baseballs on a piece of wire I had in my stash.
The wire was not stiff enough, and the baseballs were too heavy. When we held it up, it resembled an egg shape sphere.
We worked on straightening out all the curlies of a wire coat hanger to get as much length as possible. Then we started threading the baseballs on again, trying to decide how many to use. After much debate, we all decided 11 was good, and that made everyone happy because that was Bubba’s number.
If you're buying wire to make one of these for your MLB fan, I would think you might need 14 or 16 gauge wire. The size of the drill bit will depend on the size of your wire. You will want a VERY snug fit.
Fold wire to lock in baseballs
This is the wire, not the coat hanger, but I wanted to show you how we connected the two ends to make the repurposed baseball wreath.
Cut off excess wire
We clamped the ends down really well with pliers.
Eleven baseballs make the perfect wreath
You can see that 11 baseballs worked. It’s perfectly round. If your wire supports more weight you could try more baseballs.
You could even use ribbons or more decorations in between each baseball.
The “P” has a dual meaning. Bubba and Anna’s last name begins with a P and the team Bubba coaches is the Panthers.
I recently visited them, and seeing the repurposed baseball wreath on their door made me smile! I love that I get to help them DIY.
play ball!
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Suzanne Venkataraman
This is a great gift for a coach. Would like to do make this for my daughter's softball coach. Do you think it would work or are they too big? How many do you think would be needed? Maybe the wire would need to be stronger?
Gail Wilson
I'm sorry I have no idea if this will work for softballs.
gail
Priscilla Salinas
Love this wreath. Can you tell me what kind of wire you used to clamp the end and how?
Thanks you.
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
Priscilla,
We used a wire coat hanger for this project.
gail
Trisia Kono
Hi Gail! Very cute idea. What size drill bit did you use?
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
I'm sorry, I don't remember what size bit we used. It was just big enough for a coat hanger. Smaller is probably better.
gail
Rachel Pituch
I just got done making one and my baseball wreath when I hang it looks like a oval. How to I fix this?
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
How many balls do you have on it, (no more than 11 balls) and did you use a sturdy coat hanger? You will need to make sure that each ball is very close to the other, and that the connection is very tight. If you've done all of that, you should be able to reshape it.
gail
shauna
did you use just major league baseballs or did u use like a little league or cory league ball? was wondering if the bit would get stuck in the yarn in the inside of the ball
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
They were baseballs used in high school games.
Michele D
Just a quick question, you mentioned you used a heavy wired clothes hanger. Are most wire hanger the same gauge or did you get your hanger from the dry cleaners? Let me know when you get a chance. Thanks. I can't wait to try to make this.
gail@myrepurposedlife.com
The hanger we used was very old, but I don't think it came from a dry cleaner. I think most any coat hanger would work as long as you don't put too many balls on there.
good luck! have fun!
kimmie
Gail did you drill straight down the middle.or little off to the side
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
Kimmie
My nephew did the drilling straight down the middle, with an extra long drill bit. 🙂
gail
Maureen
LOVE this and need to make one for spring!!! I need a softball and a baseball one. Just a quick question .... did you use wire hanger wire or another wire??? If so what gauge wire did you use???
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment Maureen
we used a heavy wire coat hanger.
Shellie Downing
I wonder if I could make it work with softballs. My daughter is headed off to play college softball in a year and we're more than a little obsessed.
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
I don't know.... I don't see why it wouldn't work... but I know very little about softballs. 🙂
good luck!
gail
Sarah
I used extra balls and mine didn't turn out round...is there anything I can do to fix it?
katie
I'm going to try and make this for mothers day. Does it matter where the holes are drilled?
Thanks!
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
Katie,
I don't think you would want to drill through the seams. Other than that you're good. Make sure you pick up an extra long bit. I regular one won't make it all the way through. Have fun! be careful when drilling, use a vice or have someone hold a clamp.
gail
Cindy
Love this, found baseballs for $1 each at our local 5 below (dollar store).
Can't wait to finish it, going to use a kid's baseball cap instead of letter.
Thanks for the idea.
Beth
awesome, i love this!!! so great. now to find me some baseballs. i bet not take any from my bros collection. he might not like that. ha. ha!!! ( :
Jeanine Okio B Designs
Want this! Must have it now! Diehard Yankee fan over here. =)
Jeanine
gail@myrepurposedlife.net
thank you Jeanine!
gail
Laurel Stephens
This is my favorite wreath ever, and you are so lucky to have a baseball playing nephew named Bubba.
Corn in my Coffee-Pot
You know what? This is something I could probably see myself doing?
I love watching or even listening to baseball (radio) ...mine would have a 'T' on it...
Go Rangers!
Patricia
Stephanie
Oh what fun that wreath is! What a great welcoming accent for their home, I love it. I bet Nate would love one of those. Hope your having a good time in LV!
Mary
Cute! Have to say I was expecting something much larger for a "gynormus vice". That looks like a pretty normal size vice to me! But, I live on a farm.
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.
That's a fun wreath! My son-in-law is a college baseball coach. I have a big bowl of baseballs in my sunroom - an iconic symbol of summer!
Crystelle Boutique
Oh my! what a fun idea is that! How come I didn't thinkof that... I suppose you could make one with other types of balls too.... You got my gray mass moving..... 🙂
Have a terrific week….
hugs x
Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
Full Circle Creations
What a cute wreath! There are so many options for decorating it!
the cape on the corner
absolutely LOVE this! i can see this with a phillies style P in there!
Cassie @ Primitive & Proper
LOVE this!!! such a fun idea for spring/summer!
Mindi@MyLove2Create
Such an awesome wreath! I really love it! How fun for Bubba!
Sandi @ The Primitive Skate
Love this!
How awesome this would look in a little boys room.
Thanks for the tutorial!
Korrie@RedHenHome
Really cute!
kelly thompson
I love this- great in a little boys room too!
Terri
That is so cute! I am not a huge baseball fan, but I love this wreath!
Jen
Love it! We have a million balls sitting around our garage. Plus, we could do "P" also for the Philies!
Sue
It turned out great Gail! I`m sure the young couple turns to you for inspiration while renovating their house as well. Your tips are always very helpful and the tutorials are easy to follow.
Have a great week,
Sue