Replacing mittens if you’re snowed in
We are perpetually losing gloves and mittens around here. We even started buying multiples of the same kind to prevent the “only one” problem, only to discover we only had many pairs of right-handed gloves. Why do we only lose the left glove? I don’t know, my husband is left-handed and I’m right-handed. I’m thinking about going with the solution I use for small children, which is attaching the mittens or gloves to each other with a long string, fed through the sleeves of their coat.
To make mittens for your child, trace their hands on a piece of paper. Then trace around the tracing about 1-2 inches (depending on how thick your fabric is) for seam allowance. Add a long cuff- having snow go down your sleeve is unpleasant.
Cut out two pieces of fleece for each mitten. Cut a length of ribbon or a piece of the fleece for a hanging loop. Cut a piece of elastic roughly the size of the child’s wrist (not too tight!). I sewed mine on after sewing the sides together, but if you’re using a machine, do it first, stretching it flat to fit.
Pin the loop together in the seam opposite the thumb, and then sew the two sides together. Turn right side out. To prevent fraying, zig-zag stitch the cuff edge. Tie the ribbon to one mitten loop, then feed the ribbon through the arms of your child’s coat and tie the other one. It’s ok if the mittens dangle down, it’s better than the child not being able to maneuver.
I made a dragon spike hat to go along with it using this pattern and adding folded over triangles in the seams for the spikes.
Note: these mittens will not stretch, so not recommended for sleeping accommodations for woodland animals.
