Meet the seamstress for the Reading Fightin Phils, Diane Baldwin

READING, Pennsylvania -- Baseball's Opening Day is less than two weeks away.

And the staff of the Reading Fightin Phils is busy preparing for another great year of Minor League baseball at FirstEnergy Stadium. From the general manager's office to the stadium operations, those surrounding the team are buzzing with anticipation. And that includes the team seamstress.

Diane Baldwin has been sewing uniforms for the team for the past three years.

"I don't think there's anything more Americana than a baseball uniform," she explains while working on the team's new manager Al Pedrique's jersey. "And I can't imagine there's anything better for a kid than seeing your own name on the back of a uniform."

She can trace her sewing acumen and love for her craft back more than 150 years thanks to a family heirloom. She has her great-grandmother's sewing box with her maiden name initials still placed in the pin cushion. Because her great-grandmother received this as a gift from her then-boyfriend before she got married, she can place it at least 150 years old.

"I look at that work of art, of love, made by a man in his early 20s who gave it to my great-grandmother, and I am in awe." she says while admiring the relic which sits in her family room.

She loves watching the game and seeing her handiwork on the diamond. She knows how important a baseball jersey is the sport and to the player wearing it.

"As a mother, I don't think there's anything better for their child to see their name on the back of a baseball jersey. And I'm helping make that dream come true."

Opening day for the Reading Fightin Phils is Tuesday April 11th and you can find out more about the team by visiting their website at https://www.milb.com/reading/