Mittens Christmas Ornament

What could be cuter than this homemade Christmas ornament?  Mittens are so sweetly reminescent of snowball fights and sleigh rides.  This pair of mittens can be made in under an hour.   No crocheting, kntting, or sewing is required.  We do recommend that you use a pour or brush on fabric stiffener, available in craft stores.  The spray on version is easy, but doesn't provide a strong enough hold for this holiday craft.

You will need:

The mittens ornament pattern

Pins

A small bulletin board

White cotton string

Fabric stiffener

Wax paper

Scissors

Ribbon (for hanging)

 A Christmas ornament that looks like mittens made from white string
A pattern for making a Christmas ornament shaped like a pair of mittens

Step 1.  Get the pattern ready.

Print the pattern and place it on the bulletin board.  Cover the pattern with wax paper.
Placing pins around the pattern for the mittens

Step 2.  Outline the patttern with pins.

Place pins along the pattern about 1/2 inch apart along the finger portion of the mittens.  Place the pins 1/4 of an inch apart along the wrist and thumb.  The pins do not have to be spaced exactly.
Putting the string on the mittens

Step 3.  Wrap the thread in a crosshatch pattern.

Wrap the thread sideways from pin to pin and then up and down from pin to pin to make a crosshatch pattern.  This pattern will not be perfect in the hand & thumb portion of the mitten, but is important to have some threads go across and some threads go up and down.

 
Putting more string on the mittens

 Step 4.  Finish wrapping the thread.

Now wrap the thread between the pins diagonally.  Keep wrapping until you like the design.  Finish by outlining the mittens.

Six beautiful homemade ornamentsMore string ornament crafts
Blot the mitten Christmas ornament

Step 5.  Brush on the fabric stiffener.

Generously brush fabric stiffener over the mittens.  (Spray on fabric stiffener will not be strong enough!) Make sure you get all of the threads wet.  Use a paper towel to blot away the excess fabric stiffener.

Let the mittens dry for several hours or over night.
Finishing the homemade Christmas ornament

Step 6.  Finish the mittens.

Remove the pins and gently peel the mittens off the wax paper.  If you didn't blot carefully, you may have a few flakes of glue that cling to the mittens.  You can remove these with a knife.  Attach a loop of ribbon to the mittens.
The finished mittens ornament next to a Christmas tree

Step 7.  Hand the mittens on your tree.

To hang the mittens, just loop the middle of the ribbon over a branch. 

Did you know that mittens are warmer than gloves?  They are!   Because your fingers are all together in the mitten, they share heat and keep each other cozy. 

Patterns: 
PDF icon mittenspattern.pdf

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