Fleece Mitt pattern and Tutorial

How many of you are feeling winter yet? Tell me I'm not the only one! I keep seeing photos from my Australian readers who will be heading into summer soon. *sigh* I'm jealous. For the rest of us, or for those of you who will be into winter at some point, Andrea at the Train To Crazy is posting about winter all month long! Tutorials and recipes for all things winter, so head on over and take a look. I'm posting over there today.

I shouldn't whine though, I'm in the north so I should embrace all that it has to offer, right? There are some wonderful things it has to offer, that before 3 years ago I never knew about. I'll post more about them this winter, promise. We lead exciting lives up here!

This is how Little Dude feels about winter.

Ok, maybe not. This is actually how he feels about me forcing him to have his photo taken! He was the only one of our family actually born up here, in the middle of winter even, and I think he likes winter better than the rest of us. It must have had something to do with the first outside air he ever felt being somewhere around minus 30! Can you imagine what a shock that would be to a newborn baby, even if it was only a 20 second walk to the van?
He didn't flinch.
He's tough as nails.

Ok, I think my fever is making me babble, so let's get on with things! :)

How many of you have closets that eat mitts?
I do! I do!

We only have one store in town that sells mitts, and at $5-$8 for a simple fleece pair X 3 kids, that adds up.
I got smart.
Make your own, and you can get at least 4 big pairs out of a yrd of fleece. Not so heartbreaking if one goes missing.

It's when the heavy duty, it is minus 30 outside, mitts go missing that I really freak out (in town $20 a pair- YIKES!).

Click HERE and you can get the pattern I used to make a size 2/4 mitt. Don't get mad at me if these don't fit your child. They are so fast and easy practice on scrap first. Ill share with you at the end of the post how you can make these easily in any size (and I will update this post with a size 5/6 when I find my pattern piece I made last year).

Now, you might notice the thumbs stick out quite far, and the openings probably just a teeny bit wider than your store bought mitt. This is done on purpose. My little guy has a hard time finding the thumb hole, and he won't allow his thumb to go with his fingers. Frustrating for him and me. I found at this angle he can find it better and leaving the house goes smoother. :)

Let's begin.

What You Will Need:
-Fleece
- 1/4 inch elastic

Use 1/4 inch seam allowance

Cut 4 mitt pieces. They will look large. They are going to look much smaller once sewed up!
Cut 4 lengths of elastic. For this size, I cut mine 2.75 inches long.

I'm going to show you one mitt. Make sure you sew both. :)
Sew the ends of your mitts in to the wrong side about 1/2 inch.

Take a piece of your elastic and using a zig zag stitch and stretching it to fit the width of your mitt, sew it on your mitt where your child's wrist will be. I sewed mine 1.25 inches from the cuff. Do this with both pieces.

Right sides together sew your mitt together all the way around but of course not on the cuff edge. When going around the thumb don't be scared to stop sewing and lift your presser foot and pivot your mitt, lower the presser foot, sew a few stitches and repeat. This will help you get a nice curve and does not mean you are a bad sewer! Navigating small curves you almost always have to do this or your mitt will shift etc.
Unless of course you have decided to pin your mitt all the way around before sewing, but who does that?
This isn't a wedding dress, it's just a mitt!

Clip inside the curve where the top of your thumb curves to the hand part of your mitt or you'll get a pucker when you turn right side out. You won't see the clip in this photo because I hadn't snipped yet.

Ma? Like seriously, I gotta wear these?
Why yes you do my little sugarplum. You also have 3 more pair in the same colour in case you lose one!

For a Custom Fit:

• Trace your child's hand on a piece of cardstock.
• Add 1/2 to 3/4 inch and if wanting to use elastic do not curve in at the wrists, leave em wide.
• Guesstimate how long you want the cuff part. It is really no big deal if you make them too long, just make a wider hem.
• For the elastic, measure loosely around your child's wrist. Divide by 2. You don't need to add seam allowance as you want the elastic to be snug.

Do you ever buy socks like that?
When my oldest was little I would buy socks to match her outfits. What was my problem? I've since learned and buy several pairs in the same colours.

Interested in the hat? Click HERE for the Warm Winter hat Tutorial.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!