Remember the faux sheepskin coat I made a couple of weeks ago?
Well, despite messing up the sleeves and having to re-cut them, I still had some largish scraps of fabric left and started looking for ways to use them up, preferably for Christmas presents or for something to add to my Stitching Santa parcel. The first and most obvious thing that came to mind was to make a pair of mittens.
Having trawled the internet for a pattern, I discovered that it would probably be just as easy to design my own based on a few that I’d seen, so I gave it a go and this is the result.
They turned out better than I imagined and only took a couple of hours, most of which was taken up hand-sewing the thumb in place.
Boosted by my success, I thought I’d do a quick tutorial as these would make a great handmade Christmas gift. They would be great in a fleecy fabric, too, as the raw edges can just be left as they are without fraying.
There are just two simple pattern pieces to this pair of mittens; click on the links below to download and print.
Cut out the pieces as below for each mitten, reversing the template for the second mitten.
You will notice that the TOP of the mitten has been cut out WITHOUT the curve. To do this, simply draw a straight line connecting points D+E on the MITTENS template.
Make sure that any stretch in the fabric goes ACROSS the hand width – you can see where I am pulling the fabric to find the stretch in the photo below.
You may also spot in the photo above that the first draft was one piece folded in half. I later adapted this to make two separate pieces so that there would be a seam all the way around.
Pin the top of the mitten (no curve) to the bottom (with curve) with WRONG sides together. You may find this easier with quilting clips if the fabric is thick like mine.
With 1/4″ seam allowance, sew from A to D and from B to E, leaving an opening for the thumb.
With WRONG sides together and 1/4″ seam allowance, fold the thumb in half and sew from C to D.
Pin the thumb in place.
Hand-sew the thumb to the body of the mitten with a BACKSTITCH, 1/4″ from the raw edges.
You can trim any excess fur from the seams if you like, to tidy them up, but that’s it – finished.
How simple?
They really are lovely and cosy and much more pliable than real sheepskin, so are much more comfortable to wear.
I managed to get a second pair of mittens out of the scraps, so I am going to put one pair in my Stitching Santa parcel and the other will be a Christmas gift for someone in the family.
Talking of Stitching Santa the deadline is 31st October – have YOU signed up yet?
October 26, 2017 at 5:54 pm
Can’t beat that sort of mitten on a winters day, fabulous!
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October 26, 2017 at 7:09 pm
Absolutely! I used to have a pair of proper sheepskin ones and remember vividly how warm they were. Trouble is, they were so this kind that you couldn’t really bend your hand whilst wearing them. These are much better.
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October 26, 2017 at 11:30 pm
Oh I feel warmer just looking at them! So cute.
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October 27, 2017 at 7:05 am
very nice 🙂
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October 27, 2017 at 9:55 am
Thank you, glad you like them:)
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October 27, 2017 at 9:04 am
Love these!! They’re fab. You can’t beat mittens, definitely my go to. I can’t stand separating my fingers in gloves! 😀
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October 27, 2017 at 9:57 am
Thank you:) I love mittens for a walk in cold weather as they keep your fingers warmer than gloves.
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October 29, 2017 at 9:51 am
Love the coat and the mittens. They look so cosy and a gorgeous colour. Can’t wait to start collecting for Stitching Santa. I may have a try at making mittens, as you made it seem so easy!
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October 29, 2017 at 11:31 am
They are easy, just a little time consuming when setting in the thumbs. I’ve got a few generic things for Stitching Santa but can’t wait to start finding more out about my partner and tailor some things specifically for her.
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October 29, 2017 at 11:25 am
Oh I love these. I did find my pair of sheepskin mittens the other day… but I might have to think about making some more.
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October 29, 2017 at 7:36 pm
Lovely clear tutorial – as always. Another mitten fan here and these look so toasty warm! 🙂
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October 30, 2017 at 10:11 am
Thanks Bekki, it had to be simple as I seem to run out of hours in the day lately!
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October 31, 2017 at 10:08 pm
Oh no! You always seem to pack so much in – unlike us mere mortals 😉
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October 31, 2017 at 10:27 pm
😂😘
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October 29, 2017 at 9:11 pm
Great tutorial! Both the mittens and the coat look great. I bet they’re so warm! I have a RTW coat made out of this faux sheepskin and it’s so toasty. My family think that I look like a used car salesman when I wear it though! I love this purple colour – I’ve never seen this type of fabric available to buy before.
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October 30, 2017 at 10:12 am
Ha ha! Now, all I can picture is Del Boy in his sheepskin! Sales must have taken a nosedive when he started wearing his in Only Fools all those years ago:)
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October 30, 2017 at 7:43 am
Wow, these are so pretty, and look so warm and comfy. You make it look so easy.
I am looking forward to the swap, and seeing whom my buddy is going to be. I have so many ideas already. 🙂
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October 30, 2017 at 10:14 am
Only two days to go then I’ll start arranging it all. I can’t wait to begin seeing everyone’s progress on blogs and IG – it’s all quite exciting:)
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November 1, 2017 at 10:55 am
Absolutely. The anticipation is building!! 😉
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October 30, 2017 at 11:10 pm
They’re so pretty. I love the coat, too. It looks warm, soft and feminine, all at the same time. Nicely done.
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