How to Make Mittens Out of Old Sweaters

You will learn how you can recycle your old sweaters and make mittens. This is easier than you think.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• ·An old sweater ·Paper ·A pen or pencil ·Scissors ·Thread ·Sewing pins ·A sewing machine (optional)

1. Trace your hand on a piece of paper. Lay one of your hands (doesn't matter which one) on a piece of paper with your fingers together, and your thumb out at the side – just as they would be inside of a mitten. Then, trace around your hand.

2. Add a half-inch all the way around your traced hand to allow for seams, and an inch or more at the bottom of the mitten to create a cuff. Make any other necessary changes to the mitten design before finalizing your pattern.

3. Pin the Mitten Pattern to the Sweater. Cut out your mitten pattern, and pin it to the front of the sweater. For a nice, finished cuff, line up the bottom edge of your pattern with the bottom edge of the sweater.

4. Cut around the mitten pattern. This will give you two mitten-shaped pieces of fabric. Flip the mitten pattern, and pin it to another section of the sweater. Then, cut around the pattern to create the second mitten.

5. Flip mittens inside out and pin together. Stitch around the edge of both mittens, leaving a quarter-inch seam allowance. Then, flip them right side out, and your mittens are ready to wear!

Tips & Warnings

• You can use any type of sweater you have just make sure that if they have a pattern that you use the same pattern for both mittens.
• Note: If you have a pair of mittens that fit you especially well, you can use them as your pattern. Just trace around one of the mittens, and add in the allowances for seams and cuffs.
• Baby and toddler mittens fit nicely on sweater sleeves (See picture above for an example).
• Note: you can continue using the sweater to make you a matching hat as well. I would use a pattern for a beanie cap or hat that you already have.

Resources

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