Follow simple steps to make fleece gloves

M aking a pair of one-of-a-kind gloves or mittens is as easy as 1-2-3.

This week’s Craft Corner project is one we’ve wanted to include in our column for quite a while. The idea came to us when a favorite pair of gardening gloves wore out and we used them as a pattern for a new pair.

We actually made the gloves back then – during the summer – and were happy with the results, but didn’t write about it in our column at the time.

What with the chilly and rainy weather these days, this is a good time of year for an indoor sewing project, and it’s one that can be completed in an afternoon using only remnants of fleece fabric and without having to drag out the sewing machine.

Making the gloves can be broken down into three simple steps, as shown in our photo illustrations and described below.

Step 1: Making a pattern

1. Trace a pattern from an old glove.

To make a glove pattern, use an old pair of gloves or purchase a new pair that you like and that fit well.

Lay one of the gloves out on a piece of tissue paper, fingers together, and trace around the glove.

When the outline is finished, draw lines between the fingers and thumb that are the length of your fingers.

If you are using an old pair of gloves, you’ll need to use a photocopy machine and enlarge the pattern a bit to allow for seams.

If you buy a new pair of gloves to use as a pattern, buy them at least one size larger than you normally wear so that the gloves you make will fit.

Keeping the sizing in mind is important, as our first attempt was a failure. We didn’t allow for seams and just traced around the old pair of gloves, which made the new ones impossible to put on.

Step 2: Cutting out

2. Use the pattern to cut material for the new gloves.

Using a remnant of fleece fabric, lay your pattern out on a double thickness of the fabric, pin, and cut out.

You’ll need two pieces for each glove.

After cutting around the outside edges of the pattern, remove the pins but leave the tissue pattern on the fabric until you’ve marked the end of the finger lines with a small dot. Slash-cut along the lines to form the fingers.

Your edges will have some sharp and irregular angles, so trim them into rounded edges where necessary.

Trimming is important, as you will be stitching the gloves together using an outside seam, rather than stitching and turning the gloves inside out.

Step 3: Finishing

Pin the two pieces of each glove together to avoid slipping while stitching.

Using a blanket stitch, sew the two pieces together, beginning at the cuff and going up one side, around each finger and thumb, down the other side, and finishing by using a blanket stitch around both sides of the cuff opening.

You can use yarn if you like, but it’s pretty hard to pull through the fleece. Embroidery floss or several strands of regular thread may be a better choice. We used a double strand of regular thread for our sample.

And if your sewing machine is handy, you can also use a zig-zag stitch to replace the hand-sewn blanket stitch to create the seams and finish the edges.

Add a flower made from the same fleece or other embellishments as desired to decorate your gloves.

The outside stitching may not make these the most stylish gloves or mitts in the world, but they make an interesting and unique fashion statement.

Note: If you plan to make mittens, simply omit the fingers from your pattern and cut the four fingers together as one unit and the thumb as another.

3. Pin the pieces together before stitching.

To make an oven mitt, follow the same procedure as for mittens, but attach a layer or two of heavy fabric to each main piece before sewing together for insulation.

Be sure to test the thickness out on a hot pan in advance to avoid unpleasantness in the future.

If gardening gloves are your choice, be sure to use a suitable fabric (denim, heavy cotton, flannel, etc.), and it wouldn’t hurt to treat them with Scotch Guard to repel moisture.

Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com