Sew Can Do: mittens

Brrr - This week has been a crazy cold one and winter's only just gotten here!! Since we all need some warming I thought I'd do a round-up of some of my best winter wear tutorials. According to my stats, that's what people have been searching for most, so why not make it easy and put them all right here for you?

By far the most popular has been my DIY Insulated Snowpants. In less than an hour, make some fabulous waterproof, insulated snow pants for under $25. For real. I made pairs for all 3 kids last year and they've worn them loads of times. Way better, way cuter & way cheaper than the fancy store-bought versions. And did I mention they're also fleece-lined for extra cuddliness?

To go with the snow pants, how about some Insulated Mittens (also waterproof and fleece-lined). I've even included a downloadable pattern to make it super easy to make some:)

Or if you're looking for something a bit more whimsical, but still fuzzy & warm, check out my Hedgehog Critter Mittens pattern and tutorial.

Grab some sherpa and a pair of old boots to trace and whip up some super cuddly DIY Sherpa Boots. These babies are THE indoor slippers to make for these frigid days & nights.

Keep little (or big) legs warm with my Cuddle Bug Legwarmer Tutorial. Make them to the exact size you want. They are oh-so-soft:

And for embracing winter, and all it's snowy glory, trim up a long sleeved tee or sweatshirt with my Ric-Rac Snowflake Tutorial:

Whatever you feel about winter (love it, hate it, wish it would last for Christmas and then get the heck out), these tutorials will keep you cozy on all the season's chilly days & nights. What else are you making for staying warm?

I'm also sharing this project with my FAVE LINK PARTIES.

Click HERE to check them out!

Over the years I've gotten so tired of the flimsy knit, fleece or otherwise impractical mittens for kids. None really keep their hands warm or dry. We needed some really robust mittens that could take snowballs, sled rides and other snow-related activities. Winter can be downright frigid and little hands need to stay toasty! Sooooo, I created these babies: Insulated Snow Mittens.

Earlier this week I shared my DIY Insulated Snow Pants and these mittens use all the same materials. This makes them waterproof on the outside, cuddly soft on the inside and with a thermal layer in between to really keep out the cold. The trifecta of a great mitten!! Added bonus, if you make the snow pants, at least 2 pairs of mittens can be made with the scrap fabric leftover!

Note - The fabric amounts below are in case you're only making mittens. This will make several pairs and fit approximately ages 2-8yrs.

You'll Need:
- 1/4 yd Anti-pill or Micro Fleece, which makes a cuddly, hardwearing lining.
- 1/4 yd Thermal Batting aka Insulating Lining, (traditionally used for making hot pads). It's needle pricked with silvery mylar to add the critical insulate so the warmth stays in & cold stays out.
- 1/4 yd PUL (polyurethane laminate), a laminated polyester traditional used for making cloth diapers - ideal because it's waterproof and lightweight.
- 1/2 yd One quarter inch wide elastic
- 1/2 yd FOE (fold over elastic) - Find more info on using FOE here.
- Sewing Notions (matching thread, rotary cutter/shears, pins, sewing machine)
- My mitten pattern below

Click HERE to download my mitten pattern

Start by printing pattern. Make two copies of first page. Cut out one as the top of mitten piece and the other with the curved section removed for the bottom (see notes on pattern). Cut thumb sections from second page. Fold fabrics in half and cut out pattern pieces from the PUL, batting and fleece, so you will end up with a pair of each piece.

Lay batting on top of wrong side of fleece pieces. With right sides together, sew one long thumb piece along one side of a top piece with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Make sure to sew the next long thumb onto the opposite side of the other top mitten (or you'll end up with 2 mittens for the same hand!). Repeat sewing step with PUL.

Next stitch small thumb piece to the curved section of the palm piece as shown below, with right sides together and mirroring for the other hand as done with the tops. Do the same for the PUL pieces:

Trim down and cut notches into the seam allowance on the PUL pair so the curve with bend smoothly:

This is how the pieces should look:

With right sides facing, pin top and palm fleece pieces together

Stitch around entire mitten, except cuffs. Trim seam allowance close to stitching:

Now take the top and palm PUL pieces and, with right sides facing, stitch down the long (non-thumb) side only and open. With wrong side of fabric facing up, and starting 1.5 inches inward from the cuff edge, attached the quarter inch elastic with a wide zig-zag stitch, pulling elastic taut as you sew.

This will create a nice gather effect to help keep the mittens on. Cut off remaining elastic.

Fold mitten closed with right sides facing and finish remaining edge stitching :

Turn PUL mittens right side out and insert linings into them. Match up seams and pin together around raw edge.

Baste layers together, close to the edge. Finish raw cuff using FOE (fold over elastic) as a binding, sewing into place with a triple zig-zag stitch close to the edge of the FOE. Toss in dryer on high for about 10 minutes to seal the needle holes in the PUL. Now the mittens are ready for snow!

I also made a toddler version without thumbs (just using the top pattern piece for both sides) and inserted one end of a strip of twill tape under each mitten cuffs as I stitched them on so they'd be the "on a string" variety.