Tips & Tricks: Make Mittens from UpCycled Materials
Why not add some great style to those mittens?! Yes, your hands deserve so much pampering! ‘How exciting to make mittens from UpCycled Materials!
I love creating cozy, handmade mittens from upCycled materials as it is a wonderful way to give new life to old fabrics while crafting something useful and unique. Whether you’re repurposing old sweaters, leather jackets, wool blankets or fleece from thrift stores or your closet, here are some tips and tricks in this tutorial to help you make the perfect pair of cozy mittens.
Choose the Right Materials
- Warm Fabrics:
Opt for materials that are warm and soft, such as:- Wool or cashmere sweaters
- Fleece blankets
- Wool blankets
- Crocheted Afghans
- Knitted sweaters
- Insulation:
For extra durability and warmth, consider lining the mittens with polar fleece or micro fleece. - Durability:
Consider making the palms & thumbs out of leather or vegan leather. - The Best Fit Mitten Pattern:
My own design pattern & instructions (digital download eBook)
Repurpose Sweaters:
Wash and Felt Wool:
- If you’re using wool sweaters, felt them by washing in hot water (washing machine) and drying on high heat (dryer). This process shrinks and thickens the fibres, making them warm and less likely to fray.
Smooth Out Fabric:
- Iron the materials to remove wrinkles and make cutting easier. Use the ribbed areas to make the cuff of the mitten.
Where to find soft leather:
Recycling old leather is fabulous! Older style leather jackets often have a lot of yardage and can often be sewn with a standard sewing machine. Take a bit of time to take out the lining and open major seams. Press leather with a low temperature iron and pressing cloth.
Since pinning is difficult, trace the pattern pieces using a light or dark marker depending on leather colour prior to cutting. When sewing the leather use a longer stitch length to make less holes in the leather.
Design and Embellish your Mittens!
Since felted wool sweaters become quite dense they are a great canvas for Needle Felting. The barbed felting needle pushes the wool fibres into the surface. Making the images uses very little amount of wool fibres.
My first needle felted mittens came out great (see video).
Since the fibres tangle with the wool base they stay quite well. The piece can be further wet felted but I find that ironing does a good job to help anchor the design. The backs of the mittens do not get much wear.
The mittens are finished with leather palms and thumbs and then lined with micro fleece and cuffs from knits like sweaters.
Transfer a Design to Wool:
Lighter fabrics can be transferred onto with types of transfer paper. For darker fabrics I have a trick for you; draw on a piece of water soluble stabilizer paper and then use that as the outline to poke through. After finishing the stabilizer can be dissolved quite easily with a wet towel or a quick wash.
Add a backing layer of more wool if you want a thicker wool mitten. This felted merino wool sweater has another layer of scrap wool blanket on the back.
Attach the cuffs from the outside so that once folded back they are completely finished on the inside to make pulling on the mittens very easy. The buttons and a couple stitches secure the cuff in place.
Be Creative!
Any image can work; if you can imagine it, you can make it! It is little risk as wool can be pulled out again if needed. I liken it to drawing or sketching since you can add as you like.
Leather scraps can be substituted and used instead of buttons.
Who ever said that a pair of mittens had to match?! Make whatever kinds of images that make you smile…
The Benefits of Felted Wool:
Sew on small pieces easily since felted wool usually does not fray anymore . The little leaves embellished this existing scarf to make a sweet combination with a hat and mitts.
Sometimes I just start a design with an idea and just add as I go along. Needle felting is really not difficult. Pull out any mistakes with some tweezers.
Working with Crocheted & Knitted Pieces:
Maybe there’s an afghan that can now get a new life! Perhaps grandma’s blanket can make everyone mittens! How cute are all these colours together?! Give the piece a good wash to enable more felting together of the fibres.
If they are not wool they may not actually felt. As long as the yarn is dense enough you can still use it as long as you take that into account when sewing. Use a very small stitch length and sew more than one line of straight stitch to make sure you catch each strand of yarn securely.
Finishing the Mitts with the leather palms makes this mitten pattern perfect to keep them clean and easy to wear. This pattern works really well and has gotten great reviews.
How charming and quick these came together. It warms my heart to think that someone lovingly crocheted that afghan.
‘Bernie’ Style Sweater Mittens:
If you prefer to make bernie’s mittens; made of all sweater, they can be made with this free mitten pattern.
Wonderful Virgin Wool Blankets:
Soon these will be so rare to find as we move into the world of almost all polyester fabrics! Yes, some may be past their prime or to ‘scratchy’ for some. They do make a great base for many fibre arts though.
Did you know that wool takes natural Dyes and Eco Printing really well?
The natural tannins found in some leaves will make permanent prints on wool. Eco Printing is the name for this method. As a bit more embellishing to define the prints I enjoy the fun of FME (free motion embroidery). Adjust the machine with a special foot to allow sliding the fabric around to create the lines of stitches, most machines allow this.
It is almost like doodling without taking your ‘pen from the paper’. Such fun; trust me!
The colours and diversity of prints gifted from nature is unreal!
Choose the sections that work well for the mitten back pattern pieces.
Lining the Mittens:
One of the reasons I started to make mittens was to have the warmth without too much bulk. For that reason I prefer to line mine with micro fleece (often found as bedding) since it is warm but not too bulky, allowing the fingers to keep warm together and move easily.
Thin micro fleece also sews easily without bulk and can have a very small seam allowance.
It looks like the autumn floor – Colourful and each Unique!
Another great thrift find; a massive red Virgin wool blanket! This will supply many projects for under $10.
Can you see a theme? If there is still fraying, a small zigzag can secure the edges.
Hooo, would love a pair of mitts like this?! Take a look around and see what you can craft together to make your mittens. I hope I’ve inspired you to make mittens from UpCycled materials!
Here’s the best fit mitten Pattern
I love felting! Discovered it thru a local community class. So much fun! I felt every wool sweater I can find & make purses, mittens etc. Love giving them as gifts & selling them @ our church bazaar. Love all your designs! When I retire I’ll have more time to experiment like you do. So fun!! Ty!
I echo your feelings! ‘Seems like time is never enough!