Restoration: 1963 Kansas City A's Jersey

This item from the April 12, 1963 Kansas City Star announces the A’s new colors for the 1963 season. Note that the uniforms are denoted as “nylon” in the caption, though they still would count today as a nylon/flannel blend and are not true Double Knits as we know today.

Here is the jersey as I received it from Steve. Remarkably, it is still intact and has all seven of its original yellow buttons. The "A" on the front is original, though the name on back has been removed for post-MLB use in the minors. The number was also changed from "28" to "38. The original satin lining remains. loose but intact. There are some dark black scuffs of unknown origin on the back. Notice how much of the green and white trim is missing, at the tops of the shoulders and all the way around the back of the neck. This jersey was originally issued to pitcher Bill Fischer, and Steve wants it returned to its original livery.

The original Wilson tail tag tells us that this set 2 jersey was from 1963 and originally was #28. The tag is hand chain-stitched on an (even then) ancient machine onto a piece of gold fabric. It remains in place after these 55 years.

The first thing I do, ALWAYS, is to create and send a proof of a mock-up of the final job. By superimposing my artwork onto the jersey, it allows my clients to approve the art, and tweak anything they want changed. Zero rework is my goal, every time. In this case, Steve gave me the go ahead without any changes.

So, where do I get the art for the replacement lettering? I have a massive archive of auction photos to work from. I combine that with scans of the ancient shadows on the garment from old lettering to make sure what I am recreating is as original as possible.

To get the name on back correct, we start with a light table scan of the shadows (top left). I do a basic straight-line tracing of the shadows, which as you can see (bottom left) is comically distorted because of the fabric's shrinkage. The bottom right is the cleaned up outline. I have learned that creating and sewing intentionally distorted lettering is really not desirable. There is enough distortion in the fabric that, when sewn, the new lettering ought to be dimensionally consistent with its original appearance.

When I removed the 1963-vintage replacement "3" from the front I was surprised to see how much lighter in shade the fabric below was. Usually, the covered areas are darker due to less sun and detergent bleaching. Notice too that the 1963-vintage replacement 3 was marginally taller than the original 8 beside it. That's important to recognize, because the properly-sized replacement 2 that will fill this spot will not completely cover the old ghost.

The back number presented the same problem! What to do?

I determined that the difference in the fabric color was from years of dust and grime settling on the fabric. Steve gave me permission to hand-launder the jersey. Post-wash and fabric steaming, you can see the result; while not exact, the colors now match much more closely. Also notice that, using the dry cleaning spot gun, I carefully removed some of the black scuffing on the bottom of the "8". I didn't go crazy, because getting it all off might have blasted a hole in the old fabric. This way, it's just a bit less noticeable.

If you look carefully at this spot at the right bottom corner of the removed "3" we can see 1963-vintage darning machine fabric repair in gold thread. Look closely at the horizontal ghost line near the center of the photo. That is the line from the original bottom of the "2" that had been there. There is no way I am going to make the new 2 that small just to match the line... this is just another clue of how much this fabric has shrunk since original. Common sense must prevail.

Now-- on to making the replacement lettering. Originally, when John F. Kennedy was President, the lettering was bright kelly green outlined with white. Years of use have dulled the material to a flat finish, and made the white fabric a beige color. Normally, I start with white twill (far left) and dye it to match. But this jersey was so worn I actually decided to begin with beige twill (like is used on 2010 Diamondbacks uniforms), because it was a closer place to start. I'll still need to dye it a bit to match exactly.

The other problem is sheen. It's subtle, but tackle twill is actually very reflective. The ribs that are woven into the fabric reflect light and make it look even lighter in color than it really is. Notice this flash photo of both the new green and beige fabrics behind the well-weathered 3. This won't do!

The solution to shiny fabric- Sandblasting it with regular household baking soda. Everyone has a cabinet sandblaster, right? Well, I do! Intensely strafing the fabric with baking soda at 120PSI takes all the sheen off the fabric, both on the top of the microscopic ribs and in the tiny valleys. This process simulates in just a minute's time the hundreds of washings the jersey received in its life. Sandpaper won't reach the valleys of the fabric weave, but the blaster will.

When sewing the lettering, I also match the thread to make it look old. Standard Kelly green thread is at the right: I chose a slightly lighter shade at left to make it look old. My grandmother was a seamstress, and I have her massive collection of threads form the 1950s in my cabinet. Notice the 29-cent price on the top of the spool. A spool of thread now costs eight times that much.

Here, you can see how the lighter thread gives the illusion of age.

Now-- when I cut the lettering (pre sandblasted, here) notice that it is slightly larger than it should be... why? I'll tell you.

..It's larger because the next step is to boil the lettering very briefly in my secret primordial mixture of coffee grounds and tea leaves,rinse it thoroughly, then quick-steam it dry in the heat press to give it some pucker to match the old lettering. When steamed, the lettering shrinks 1/4" to match the old!

An un-sandbasted, un-dyed, and un-steamed letter is on the left. An abused and distressed one is on the right, ready to be sewn in place. (In a restoration like this, I always make more than one set of lettering from the start, and then use the individual examples that look the best after distressing.)

Now it is time to position the reproduction lettering on the jersey using the light table and the old ghosts as guidance. Notice the historic repairs that were made to the fabric where the original lettering was rudey separated.

I sew using off white thread, so as to match the old work.

Now-- on to the trim. There are large sections of missing trim on this jersey. You cannot just go to the store and buy new trim that matches, it simply does not exist. Sometimes I have trim that I can reclaim from discarded jerseys or pants. There are knitting mills that will make you 1000 yards of it for $1000, but what if you only need a foot or two?

The answer for me is to make my own. I use color matching ribbon trim from the fabric store and bind it to white tackle twill, then trim it to the needed width.