Holiday Fleece Mitten Ornaments with Snowflakes Embroidery Designs
This original holiday project was sent to us by Beth Maitland Banninger. Beth,
thank you so much for sharing!
There are several interesting issues about this project. First, it involves
fleece, which it a tricky material to work with. If you do it right, you get
great results. If you forget to stabilize properly, the entire project will be
a mess. So follow the rules. Beth covers the steps in most detailed manner.
The second interesting point about this specific project is that the mittens
may be used in several ways. They may serve as home decor elements, as originally
shaped "Christmas Stockings", as potholders or in traditional way - as mittens.
Here is a photo or ready project, and below you'll find a detailed instruction.
Instruction, direct from project author:
I have several children on my holiday gift list, and many of them I give money to. I was looking for
a clever and hand made way to give them their gift, to show I spent some time and love on them, as well
as the cash. I saw the beautiful Snowflakes Design Set, and knew what to do! I love how ABC embroidery
designs sew out on fleece. So here is the result of muted winter colors, gorgeous threads, and ABC
Snowflakes...
Supplies List (for each mitten ornament):
- 2 squares of solid color fleece, large enough to hoop for snowflake design, approximately 8 or 9 inches (one to embroider, the other for the back of the mitten)
- Light to medium cut away stabilizer (to put under fleece)
- Light water soluble topping for over fleece - to hold nap down and allow threads to stay on top of fibers
- Approximately 8 " of fringe, crazy eyelash trim, looped novelty yard strands, or other trim of your choice for cuff
- 4" of satin ribbon, rat-tail cord, or other decorative cord for hanger
- Embroidery thread in colors of your choice, to compliment your backing fabric and the embroidery designs
- Prewound Bobbins
- Construction thread for building the mittens
- Construction bobbins
- Snowflakes embroidery designs
Embroidery
1. Choose your design and transfer to your embroidery machine. Choose thread colors that fit the design and your base fabric. These designs may look great in many colors, not necessarily blue ones. But since it's a holiday project, you may want to pick up some traditional winter colors.
2. Hoop the fleece with cutaway backing underneath and water-soluble topping on top, like this photo shows:
3. Embroider the design, following thread change list. When finished, unhoop and tear away the topping. Leave cutaway in place as stabilizer for construction:
Construction
1. Lay out the fleece on flat surface. I use my hand for a pattern. I trace around my hand onto paper, but you can also do this directly on the fabric with a fabric marker. Be sure to center the snowflake across the top of the "hand" of the mitten top. I had to make my pattern a little wider at that point so as not to cut away or seam any of the design. Cut a mitten bottom also.
2. With right sides together, sew around the edge of the mitten a scant 1/4" seam. Fleece won't fray, so finishing is easy.
Important: Insert the hanger cord or ribbon about 1 1/2 inches below outer wrist area of side seam of mitten before you sew seam.
3. Add a trim of your choice around mitten "cuff". I zigzag mine to hold it firmly:
That's it. I now have a mini mitten that is perfect for hanging on a tree...in our case, our blue bathroom tree for the holidays, or to slide some cash into with a note or gift tag, or as an accent on a beautifully wrapped gift. My collection includes nearly all the designs from this set...and they're gorgeous!
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