A Mitten Without the Knittin'

A mitten that doesn't require any knittin'...

It was the third week of January before we actually experienced any sort of "normal" cold weather here in the Great White North. (Not that I'm complaining, since when it did come, it came with a vengeance.)

To mark the late arrival of winter, I decided to make something new to put up in my front window, after retiring my fabric Christmas tree for the year.

It was something I had been pondering for a while: the idea of hanging something different to celebrate the changing seasons.

I entertained two different approaches to the project. One was to use scraps of fabric patchwork-pieced together and then cut into the desired shape, and the other was to use up the remainder of my red and white ribbon in a "no sewing required" method.

I've had these spools of ribbon for four years now, and they've been used in a wide variety of applications, from a portable pocket pouch to a triple pocket zippered pouch. In a way, I'm sorry to see the last of it, but what's the point of having supplies if they don't get used?

Just hoarding??

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A simpler project there could not be. All you need is some Decor Bond fusible interfacing and some ribbon. The wider the ribbon, the easier it is. Mine were 2.5" to 3" wide.

I taped four letter sized pieces of paper together and used it to draw a large mitten shape.

Draw a big mitten... or whatever shape suits your fancy...

Use it as a template to cut a piece of Decor Bond. 

It's not that important for a mitten, but if you have a preferred right side/wrong side, pay attention to how you place the template against the interfacing. The fusible side will wind up being the right side of the project.

Use template to cut interfacing...

The next step is to lay and pin down strips of ribbon against the fusible side of the interfacing.

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Before doing so, I worked out the most efficient layout, considering the amount of ribbon that I had left. A mostly diagonal placement turned out to be the best.

A "Canadiana" mitten...

The final step is — of course — to fuse the ribbon onto the interfacing, very carefully, mind you. I used a pressing cloth to protect the ribbon. Do this in stages, one segment at a time, to control shifting and minimize any gaps.

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I added a small eyelet to one corner and knotted a piece of paracord through it. My fabric tree hangs from a large paperclip permanently attached to the blinds in this window, so I used it to anchor this mitten as well.

A perfect symbol for Canadian winters...

You could also use double-sided tape to attach it directly to the glass. I did this when I made a similar item last year to pay tribute our front line health care workers. (You may have seen it on my Pandemic Projects page.)

Love to all front line workers during the pandemic... 

Given how easy this is, can you think of other shapes that would be effective at providing joy and colour during our ongoing gloom?  

My original idea for a spring/summer version was a flip flop sandal. But I think I will pursue a fabric version of some other summer symbol. You'll have to stay tuned to find out what it is.

'Til next...