Bunnie Mittens, Part Three. They're ALIVE!!!

Time to bring these bunnies to LIFE!

Some Things:

Large eye, sharp sewing needle
Thread to match fabric and or accents
Buttons
scissors

Use your thread at least doubled for this next step. Thread up your sewing needle.
Match up the two layers we left open at the bottom of each mitten. Make sure side seams line up and pin them there if you need to. Whip stitch (Means sewing from the inside to the outside letting the thread wrap around the edges of the fabric) around the bottom of each mitten joining the two layers of fabric together.

Should look something like this when you are done. Knot it off well when your done.

Pin the ears where you like them. Experiment a bit. Placement of the ears can change your mitt's expression. Ears far back will look angry or afraid. Close up to the eyes will look silly. Play with the placement until it's just right.

Sew on the ears. whip stitch from the body fabric just behind the ear, up through the back layer of ear fabric. Continue across the back of the ear.

Flip the ear over and do the same thing on the front layer of ear fabric. Catching the fabric on the body then up through the front ear fabric. Continue across until you have it securely on.
Repeat this for the other ear.

Now the fun starts. Grab your button stash or some googlie eyes or pompoms, what ever you want to make a face with. Have fun with it.

Sew a nose on with doubled up thread. Try to just sew it on the top layer of fabric.

Do the same for the eyes. I like to make them crooked. It makes the mittens look confused.

Rawr!!!!

All done. This little bunny is black fleece, and has google eyes. I made some with big fangs too. I'll post more pics of different designs as I have them.

I think I like 'em?

Bunny Mittens, Part Two: The sewing.

Sewing Instructions for the Bunny/Monster mittens:

Some things:

All cut pattern pieces from step one (previous posting)
Sharp scissors
pins
thread to match your fabric
Something pointy like a chopstick to help turn things to the right side

Pin and then sew together the mitten wrist lowers with the palm pieces right sides together following the dotted lines. I used a one eighth inch seam allowance, almost the same width as my presser foot. Make sure you have a left and a right hand before you sew by laying them out as I have.

Cut a little slit into both layers right up to the stitching line in the areas I have marked blue in this picture.

With right sides together and making sure once again you have a left and a right hand, pin and stitch along the yellow line again using a one quarter inch seam allowance. Fold the thumbs in and up out of the way. The slits you cut should make sewing over the thumb area easier.

This is how they should look now.

Pin and sew the lining using the same instructions as before.

Turn the outside, or colourful part of the mitten right side out, and then put your hand in the lining (keep it wrong side out). Push the lining into the outside mitten with your hand inside.

This is where we are. You should have what looks and feels like the warmest softest mitties ever. The bottoms just need to be stitched together. That'll come later, don't worry!

For the ears you will need to pile a felt piece onto each of the fleece pieces right sides together. Pin and sew around each ear using a quarter inch seam allowance and leaving the bottom flat side of the ear open.
(They look like they are different sizes here, but the aren't. I think it's an angle thing. All the ear pieces should be the same size and shape.)

Here is the ear stitched.

Trim away extra seam allowance very carefully using sharp scissors. Don't cut up to or through the stitching, take your time. You want the smallest seam allowance left. It should be about one sixteenth on an inch after trimming.

Turn the ears right side out. Make sure to poke up into the tip to make it a sharp point.

Starting about three quarters of an inch in, sew a line around the edge of each ear. It should be an eighth of an inch from the edge. Leave the bottom of the ear open.

Here are all your pieces ready for the hand finishing process. You should have two mittens with open bottom seams and four ears with open bottom seams.

I'm so excited to finish these!
I'll post the hand finishing instructions after supper.

Bunny Mittens. Part One: Pattern and fabric.

This week I'm gonna share the monster mitten pattern we used for most of our Holiday gift giving. We made bunnies and dinosaurs and kitties. It's an easy three piece pattern that you can make for any size hand. Just add whatever decorations and trims you would like to create various animals and monsters.

Some things:

About a quarter yard of fleece for the outside of the mitten
About a quarter yard of fleece for the lining
Small remnant of red fleece for the palm (or mouth)
Contrasting felt for the trim (ears, scales, etc...)
Sharp fabric scissors
chalk or way to mark the pattern on the fabric
cardboard
ruler

Mitten Top:

Trace your hand onto the cardboard, thumb in, and add about three quarters of an inch all the way around. Your seam allowance will be one quarter inch. You need room to move inside the mitties.

Mitten palm:
Measure from the top of your fingers to where your thumb starts and retrace that top part of the mitten top piece onto another piece of cardboard, add a thumb piece onto the side tracing your own thumb and adding a three quarter inch border.

Mitten Wrist Lower:
Measure from where your thumb starts to where the pattern ends at the wrist and add the same thumb shape you did for the palm piece. Make sure to add a one quarter seam allowance to the straight line between the palm piece and the wrist lower.

Ears:
Draw ear shapes on the cardboard and give them a quarter inch seam allowance.

General measurements of the palm piece including seam allowances. Make sure to measure the hand that will get the mitten to make sure they will fit.

The wrist lower basic measurements including seam allowances.

Mitten top basic measurements including seam allowances.

Pieces cut for mitten palm:
Two pieces of lining, Black.
Two pieces of red fleece to represent the mouth of the mitten.
Make sure to cut one for the left hand and one for the right if your fabric has two sides.

Pieces for mitten wrist lower:
Cut two of lining, Black.
Cut two for the bottom wrist of each mitten. Make sure to cut one for each hand as above if you are using two sided fabric like I am. You should be able to see that the pink fabric has one cut on the right side and one on the wrong creating a left and right hand piece.

Pieces for mitten tops:
Cut two of the lining and two of the outside fabric. these pieces will be the back of the mitten. You don't have to worry as much about creating a left and right piece here because the pattern for this piece is symmetrical. You should be able to flip it over and it will be the same.

Ear pieces:
Cut four pieces for the backs of the ears, and four for the front or insides of the ears. I used the same fabric I used for the body for the backs of the ears and white felt for the inside. My ears are about three inches wide by about seven inches long including seam allowances.

We're ready to start sewing. I'll post the rest of the instructions later so you can see how I put these little guys together.
Get your sewing machines dusted off and oiled up.
It's gonna be fun!