How to Make Baby Mittens

Prevent facial scratches with baby mittens.

It doesn't matter if it is summer or winter, anytime is a good time to make baby mittens. These little hand covers keep a baby from scratching her face, body, or arms by accident by covering her fingernails without putting pressure on her hands or wrists. While you can make baby mittens from any kind of fabric, you'll want to be sure to wash them in a hypoallergenic baby laundry detergent before putting them on baby.

Things You'll Need

• 1/8-yard fabric
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Cup or glass, four inches wide
• 1/8-inch elastic, five inches long for each mitten
• Pins

Instructions

1. Cut fabric into two rectangles measuring 4-by-6 inches. Fold each piece of fabric in half to form a 3-by-4-inch rectangle. Set one rectangle aside for your second mitten. Place the other folded rectangle on a flat surface with the fold running vertically.

2. Place a cup or glass over the rectangle and align the top outer edge of the glass with the top edge of the rectangle. Trace the top half of the circle onto the fabric. Cut along your traced lines to make a curved edge at the top of the rectangle.

3. Open the fold of the fabric and set the fabric with the printed side facing down. Place your elastic across the fabric aligned parallel with the long edge and only a ¼-inch in from the edge. Pin the elastic in place and sew down with a zigzag stitch, stretching the elastic as needed to make it reach from end to end.

4. Place the fabric back down as it was before sewing the elastic and fold up the 6-inch side of the fabric up by half an inch. Pin the fold in place and sew a 1/8-inch seam along the edge of the fabric to create a hem in the bottom of the mitten and trap the elastic in place.

5. Fold the mitten in half the same as you had originally folded it in Step Two with the right side of the fabric facing in. Sew a ¼-inch seam all the way around the mitten from the edge of your hem to the point where the cut curve turns into the fold.

6. Turn the mitten inside out. Push the seams with your fingers to shape the mitten along the seam lines. Repeat Steps 2 through 6 with the rectangle you set aside from Step 1 to create the matching mitten.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a heavier fleece for making mittens in the winter months and a light knit for summer babies.

References

• "Gifts With Heart"; Mary Beth Sammons and Susannah Seton; 2002
• "Making Toys for Infants and Toddlers"; Linda G. Miller, Mary Jo Gibbs; 2002