How to Make Decorative Gloves
Most people have at least one pair of gloves in their closet. Woolen gloves protect us from cold weather, rubber gloves from dishwashing soap or harsh cleaning products; and leather gardening gloves from scratches. Decorative gloves only have to look great. You can use fabrics such as stretch lace, silk or linen that do not provide protection or warmth to stunning decorative gloves. You can decorate your gloves with a variety of embellishments--buttons, ribbons, studs-- which, in other circumstances, would get in your way. Making decorative gloves is an exercise in creativity and imagination, which only requires basic sewing skills and patience.
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Scissors
- Fabric--½-yard
- Pins
- Sewing machine and thread
- Embellishments such as ribbon, buttons, studs, grommets, fibers
- Fabric paint
Instructions
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Make The Pattern
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1
Place your right hand, palm side down on a piece of paper, open your fingers as wide as possible, and trace outline with a pencil. Start and end at the wrist bone and draw around and in between each finger. Label this as "right front."Turn your hand so the back of the hand is now on the paper and trace its outline in a similar way, labeling it as "right back." You now have two pieces of the pattern for the right hand. Repeat this for the left hand, labeling the patterns as "left front" and "left back."
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2
Draw around each outline ¼-inch away from the first line---this is the seam allowance. If you want the gloves to be longer than to your wrist bone, extend the wrist of the outline to the required length. Remember to add the seam allowance to the pattern as well.
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3
Cut out the four patterns on the seam allowance lines. Place them against your hands to ensure they are the right size.
Making the Glove
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4
Spread the fabric in a single layer on a flat surface, right side up. Pin the patterns to the fabric. Cut out the four pieces.
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5
Decorate the gloves. Sew beading or metallic fibers to the back pieces or use fabric paint to add designs or words. Studs or grommets add an urban, industrial look, and buttons around the cuff give your gloves a vintage touch. Add embellishments around the entire wrist of the glove or decorate each finger differently.
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6
Pin the front and back right-hand pieces to each other with right sides together. Pin the middle of each finger to keep the fabric from shifting. Start at the wrist and sew down one arm, then around each finger, ending up at the other side of the wrist, using a ¼-inch seam allowance. Turn ¼-inch of the bottom edge inside, making the hem. Sew in place. Trim away excess fabric, particularly at the base of the fingers, to reduce bulk.
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7
Repeat this for the left-hand glove. Sew slowly and carefully along the seams so the fingers of the glove remain even.
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8
Turn the gloves right side out. Examine the decorated parts of the glove and add other embellishments if you like.
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1
Tips & Warnings
To add braiding or ribbon along the seams, pin it between the front and back fabric pieces along the seam before you sew the pieces together.
Fingerless gloves, with a great manicure, looking stunning.
