Introduction: Mini Mitten Garland

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Christmas is over, but unfortunately there's lots of winter still to go. It seems such a shame to have to take down all the decorations and lose the festive spirit so early on, before cabin-fever has even had an opportunity to set it. Seems to me a little bit of festive decorating would help lessen the winter blues. So I thought I'd present an idea that can be the seed for many other decorating projects, and one that is very simple too.

These cute little mittens take less than 10 minutes to make. And if you make more than one, the time needed for each set is even less.

Step 1: Make a Mitten Template and Trace

You'll begin by making a mitten template from cardboard so you can trace around it. I have two templates I use: the one used for this tutorial, and one that's basically the same but a little taller and narrower. My templates are about 3" tall, but you can make them any size, even super teenie if your eyes and fingers can take it.

Take a piece of fleece or felt and double it. Begin tracing the pattern for as many mittens as you'd like to make. You'll probably need a marker to be able to write adequately on the fleece. Leave about 1/2" between each pattern for a seam allowance.

Step 2: Stitch on Trace Lines

After you're finished tracing your pattern, sew the mittens, stitching directly onto the traced line. At the cuff of the mitten, reinforce the stitching so that it won't unravel when you try to turn the mitten right-side out. Do not stitch across the cuff of the mitten.

Step 3: Cut Stitched Mittens Apart

When finished stitching, your project should look something like this. Carefully cut apart the mittens.

Step 4: Trim Excess Fabric

Next, cut the mittens out, trimming the fleece to withing about 1/4" of the stitch line.

Step 5: Trim Bottom of Mitten

Cut the cuff of the mitten straight across.

Step 6: Turn Mitten

Now turn the mitten right side out. Use your fingers to get a good turn on the seam, paying special attention to the thumb section.

Step 7: Decorate

You now have the base for your mitten. But these are pretty boring, so you need to dress them up. This is the fun part! You can use any sort of embellishment that you like or have on hand. For my mittens, I've used ribbon, rick-rack, yarn, sherpa, buttons, fleece, sequins, ribbon and more. This is a great opportunity to apply your own creativity.

Step 8: Great for Gift Packages

Make a pair, connect them with a piece of ribbon or yarn, and they make an adorable gift package embellishment.

Step 9: String for Cheery Garland

Make a bunch, string them on a ribbon using mini clothespins, and you have a cheery winter banner to help stave off the winter blues.

For more sample mittens and a collection of my other tutorials, visit childmadetutorials.blogspot.com

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