Iron Craft Challenge #23: Cozy

It's been awhile since I participated in an Iron Craft challenge.  Things have been pretty crazy around here.  But this one fit perfectly with something I needed to get done anyways.  Matthew needed mittens.  And it has snowed a few times now here in Wisconsin, so I figured I should probably get this done.  

If I've learned anything about kids and mittens over the past 5 years, it's that mittens need to be easy to put on (no straps, velcro, buttons, etc.) and it's best if it doesn't matter which one goes on which hand.  The less for me to do, the better.  Especially when I'll be bundling up a five year old, a three year old, a one year old, and a baby this winter.  I don't have time to figure out which hand is which.

I traced Matthew's hand on a piece of paper, and then drew a seam allowance around that.  I cut out my pattern, and then each hand on two colors of leftover fleece from a different project - red for the inside, Cars for the outside.  Matthew picked the colors.  I didn't even attempt to get the Cars pictures lined up pretty, because I didn't want to.  The kid doesn't care.

I hand sewed the four layers together for each mitten, except for the bottom, obviously.  I flipped them right side out and he tried them on.  They fit, but the wrist area was pretty loose.  So I grabbed some elastic from Hobby Lobby (on sale!) and sewed a strip of that in each one as well.  I've never worked with elastic before, and I was still hand sewing, so it could have been better, but they're done!

I think he likes them.  They're definitely handmade, and there's a few things I learned for next time, but overall, they turned out really well.  And aside from the 50 cent elastic, they were free!