Having trouble using your touchscreen devices this winter? Well, fingerless gloves are becoming more and more popular because of just that. And for Christmas gifts, I made them out of old sweaters I purchased at the thrift store. I made sure they were machine washable, as well as large/extra large sizes. I Brought them home, washed them, and got down to business.
One thing to note, boiled chenille and chenille in general are harder to sew. It can be done, but it takes care and patience. I found the tighter weave cotton blend sweaters to work out a lot easier. Also, each sweater should provide 3 sets of female-sized gloves. One pair out of the sleeves. Two more along the bottom edge of the sweater, so the waistline becomes where the fingers go.
First create a template on paper, noting specifically where the thumb hole goes. I used fingerless gloves I already had. You can use your hand and draw around it.
Second, start at one sleeve and pin your template to the sweater. Make sure the edge matches up the bottom of the sleeve. Cut around the template through the whole sweater…both sides.
Using the template, pin where each end of the thumb hole starts and stops on the top piece, and again on the bottom piece. Unpin your template and pin it to the other sleeve on the sweater, and repeat.
If there is a different back to your sweater versus the front, meaning your gloves have a different back, flip your template over on your second glove so the thumb lands on the opposite side of where your first one did. This assures the backs stay on the back with the right versus left hand.
Now, take a glove and turn it so right sides face each other and you are sewing on the wrong side, matching the thumb hole pins. Starting on the edge without the thumb hole, zigzag stitch all the way down. Now open the gloves flat, right side down. Fold top edge down about 1/4″, this is the edge farthest from the fingers. Zigzag stitch the edge so you have a clean edge up top. The sweater already has a perfect edge by the fingers.
Now, put the gloves back together, and zigzag stitch right up to the edge of the pin where the thumb hole starts. Now, open up the glove where the thumb hole is, laying it all flat, right side down. Fold over the sweater 1/8 inch over and zigzag stitch from one pin to the other end of the pin. This creates a clean edge seam around the thumb hole.
Next, put both sides back together. Zigzag stitch the edge from the finger top opening to the other side of the thumb hole where the pins are. Take the pins out, and trim all lagging threads.
Turn the glove inside out, so the right side is now outside and all your strings and stitches are on the inside, and it’s done!
- Sugar-Free, Low-Carb, Olive Oil Chocolate Hazelnut Tart - February 18, 2023
- Easy Slow Cooker French Onion Soup - November 28, 2022
- Recipe: Chicken Vindaloo with Whole Foods Vindaloo Curry Powder - January 22, 2022
