Scroll to the bottom of the page to see more photos.
Patterns Used:
– The mitt pattern located on this page (I made adjustments to the first gray pair I made).
Fabrics Used:
– Black taffeta (not silk?).
– Black cotton.
Other Materials Used:
– Regular black thread.
– Dark gray embroidery floss.
Hand sewing, hand embroidery (herringbone, daisy, and feather stitches). The only machine sewing is the side seam on both lining and outer fabric.
I’ve made a pair of mitts before (see link above), and although I loved the fun design (I did not base it off any historical garments) the fit was unfortunately too tight. I made them on the bias, but for whatever reason, the taffeta fabric just fit much tighter than any mockups I’d made (mockups allowed plenty of room).
I decided to rework the pattern, and I made them much roomier. I also got rid of the turnback for this pair, but kept some embroidery designs that I’ve seen on many pairs of mitts (the three lines on the back of the hand). If I had more time, I would have embroidered something floral.
I’m still not too happy about these mitts — the fit is a little off for my tastes (I didn’t want to spend time with all the slits and other seamwork that many historical pairs have), and I wish I had done the embroidery a little differently.
I also still need to work on the pattern, especially the thumb piece. I still had some trouble setting the thumbs in, even though they were a little better this time.
I did like the effect of embroidery on the thumb seams. I think I will continue using that on the thumb seams.
Photos:
My 2nd pair of mitts. The fit is still a little off for me, but for a quick project, it’s a little better.
I left the turn-back off this pair for something a little different. I also tried keeping the colors neutral. Some day, when I have a pattern and feel more confident, I would love to do something really pretty and fancy.
I wish I had made the embroidery a little shorter and maybe a little closer together on the center back. If I had more time, I would have done pretty, swirly floral embroidery. I wanted to try the lines.
I put feather stitch embroidery around the thumb seams, even extending it to the edge. The thumb was basted on, so I’m hopeful the embroidery will help keep things together as well.
I haven’t embroidered for a while, and wish I’d done a little nicer job on the stitches. It would be fun to see all the different embroidery stitches to use for seams and see which I liked best.
