How to Make Long Mittens to the Elbow for a Toddler

Keep little ones warm with long, cozy, fleece mittens.

It's fun to play in the snow, sledding, building snowmen and throwing snowballs. It's important to bundle up your toddler in their warm snowsuit, snow boots, hat and mittens so he can enjoy all that a winter wonderland has to offer. But, often times standard length mittens aren't enough to keep the cold out when a child is digging deep into snow piles. Create elbow length mittens from fleece so your little one can enjoy hours of fun in the fluffy white stuff.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Tracing paper
• Ruler
• Fleece
• Scissors
• Chalk
• Narrow elastic
• Threaded sewing machine
• Synthetic suede

Instructions

1. Measure from the tips of the child's fingertips to her elbow then add 1 inch.

2. Draw a line on the tracing paper the length you just measured. Draw a 6 inch line across the bottom of the vertical line.

3. 

   Spread fingers when tracing so there is wiggle room inside the mittens.

   Have the toddler lay her hand on the tracing paper with her arm centered on the vertical line. Have her spread her fingers and thumb out slightly, but keep her middle finger on the vertical line. Draw a mitten shape around her hand to her wrist.

4. Draw the cutting lines 3/4 inch outside the line you drew around her hand for your seam allowance. Draw a horizontal line across where you finished tracing to her wrist. From the wrist line to the bottom, extend the cutting lines but angling the lines so the bottom line is 3/4 inch wider than the wrist line.

5. Fold the fleece so you have two layers of fabric, right sides together. Pin the pattern to your fleece and cut two mittens from the fabric. Flip the pattern over and cut another set for the other hand.

6. Use the ruler and chalk to draw a line across the wrist and another 1 inch from the elbow end of two opposite mitten pieces.

7. Cut four pieces of elastic, each 1 inch shorter than the lines you drew. Set your machine to zigzag stitch and slightly stretch an elastic piece to fit across a wrist line and stitch down. Repeat for the elbow line and do the same for the opposite mitten.

8. Cut two strips of synthetic suede 2 inches by the width of the fingers of the mitten.

9. Pin the synthetic suede strips to the right side of each mitten piece you sewed the elastic onto. Set your machine to straight stitch and sew the strips to the fleece on the 1/4 inch seam, double stitch for durability.

10. Pin the mitten pieces to their counterparts, right sides together. Be sure to align the edges. Stitch around each mitten on the 1/4 inch seam allowance, double stitch for durability.

11. Clip the corner at the thumbs. Turn the mitten right side out and turn under the open end 1/2 inch. Stitch the hem down and double stitch to secure.

References

• "Singer Sewing Reference Library: Quick & Easy Sewing Projects"; Cy DeCosse Incorporated; 1993