Since I have a ~slight~ fabric addiction, (what? You mean you don't? whyever not?!) I had everything I needed to whip a pair of these up. If you DON'T have a fabric addiction like myself (which I think you should) then you will need to get some fleece. Any fleece will really do, just make sure it has a nice stretch to it. Because that is uber important. You will also need scissors, paper, pencil, a sewing machine and a fabric marker, pins too, if you like that sort of thing. I am not a pinner, and this project really does NOT need it, but whatever floats your boat! These are seriously simple, and even if you are not a huge sewer, you could have these done in around 20 minutes. Or less. Easy peasy!
I will apologize in advance for the pictures. I should really have someone help me take them. So these are me, standing awkwardly holding the camera in one hand and trying to get pictures of my other hand..yea.
What you need:
So. Make your pattern. Yes, I really DID just trace my arm/hand for this. Why not? Its for me and it makes sure it fits nicely. You want these to be snug, so you can easily wear them under sleeves. So trace your arm and hand, and stop wherever. You can make these as long/short as you'd like. Now obviously, when you trace up around your hand, you will need to sort of..cut off your thumb when you cut it out. You'll make a hole for your thumb later. Eventually, I will edit this with a version to make a thumb part, instead of just having a hole. But, not today. Deal.
Ta da! You just created a pattern. You should be proud of yourself. :D Not everyone can create their own pattern ya know.
Moving on. Get your fabric. Now this part is important, so make sure you check. Grab your piece of fleece, and see which way the stretch goes. You have to have the stretch the right way, or well, these won't fit. And that is no good. I fold my fabric and cut two out at once. You can do it that way, or if you prefer, cut out one at a time. Just make SURE the stretch goes side to side and not up and down.
Did you make sure the stretch was right? Check again. Its really that important. Ok. Lets cut!
Cut your mitts out. Now, when you made your pattern, obviously there was no seam allowance. One of the beauties of fleece, is it will not fray. I did a pretty narrow seam allowance, but feel free to make it bigger. You can trim it off later. Its all about what you are comfortable with here and what makes it easiest! You could also take a marker, and mark your pattern directly onto the fabric. Then, when you sew, follow that line. This insures they will be snug. Since you made sure the stretch went the right way, they will fit. I promise.
If you DID make a bigger seam allowance, then trim it down. It will cut down on the bulk. You want it nice and narrow, like mine is. See?
My sewing machine has like, a million settings. For this, I moved my needle over to the left. This is helpful when you have a narrower seam allowance, since it helps feed the fabric through. At least on my machine. You can totally leave your needle in the middle if you want.
So now, you have two options, before you sew the sides. Or three, depending on if you feel lazy or not ;) First. You can hem top and bottom NOW, BEFORE you sew them together. Here is how you do that:
So, here is where you can pin if you want. I rarely do, so I didn't.
Now make sure they are going to line up right after you've hemmed.
Second, you can sew the sides, and then hem them. I do prefer this way, but its a little more tricky, since these probably will not fit over your machine. So you sort of have to fold the end and keep the other side out of the way while you sew. And this is how that looks:
Third, now, I have totally done this, when Im feeling lazy. Leave it unhemmed. Again, fleece does not fray. No real reason to hem the ends, other then looks. You could even use pinking shears or a wavy blade on your rotary cutter to make the ends prettier. Or leave it straight. Up to you!
So, now that you have them sewn, and hemmed or not, its time to put them on!! Ta da! You are finished!
What? Oh yea. Your thumb. It would be nice to be able to use it huh? This is where the fabric marker comes in. While you have your mitt on, find the bottom of your thumb. Make a mark, about 1/2" long or so. I turn mine so the seam goes above my thumb, so this mark is slightly below the side seam. Take the mitt off, fold in half and cut the mark off. You want it to be a small oval. Repeat on the other side, or you can just lay them side by side and mark it that way.
So now you are really done!! Enjoy having warmer hands while the weather is getting colder!! I know I love mine. I think they would also make nice little gifts. Stick some in a stocking. You could even go crazy, and embellish them with things. Add some lace to the ends. Whatever you want to do!
I would LOVE to see your mitts!! Please let me know if you make some, if anything is not clear in this tutorial. If you send me a picture, I will add it here :D
~V~
