There are two cool finds of sewn mittens available at the National Museum of Iceland’s webpage and you can see them here and here. They are both sewn in wool cloth and constructed with a separate piece making the thumb. I adore the Garðar Mitten and decided to make a pair for myself.
My first thought was to make them as a type of over-mitten to be worn over my regular needle-bound ones, but then I got sidetracked while making the pattern and made the grey ones the exact size for my hands. So I made another pair in red, for really cold days.
The outside of the mitten is larger than the inside, meaning you will shape the outer side around the inner, creating a gathered effect that is both pretty and practical.
The tumb is inserted in a round hole in the hand, making it both fun to do and comfortable to wear.
Tips for working with the pattern:
Add seam allowance to the mittens, 1-1,5 cm. Remember to sew with the correct seam allowance, small garments really differ in size if you are lazy with the seam allowance.
The tumb seam can be made in different ways; by using a backstitch and sewing the pieces right side together, or:
If you find it difficult to make the thumb insertion seam, try treating it like an “inserted gore” from my tutorial, and press the seam allowance on the inside piece, before sewing it to the thumb piece. (I will show you how to do it below, on the red mitten).
Or go inspired and fasten the thumb piece from the outside as I did with the grey mittens, adding a decorative seam to protect the fabric edge.
Step by step instructions
Place the paper pattern pieces on the fabric with some space in between for seam allowance, and pin the paper in place.
Trace around with a fabric marker, 1 cm outside the pattern. Use a ruler/measuring stick to guide you.
In small projects, some extra seam allowance can make a big difference. To help yourself making the garment the right size, you can trace around the pattern pieces with a basting thread.
It is fast, and you will know exactly were to place your seam. Here the basting line is blue, and I moved the pattern piece for it to show better on the photo.
Cut out all your pieces (remember to check that you have a left and right mitten before doing this).
Tip: it is always easier to cut a sharp line if you have a sharp scissor, and cutting the fabric with the scissor resting on a table.
Pieces ready for basting and trying on!
Start with basting the tumb together at the top, down to the start of the semicircle shape.
Use your blue basting lines, pair them together and pin the tumb in place on the inside piece. Work from the right side of the mitten, the blue lines should line up on top of each other.
Variations: If you want to sew your mitten according to the seam in the original, use a backstitch and attach the pieces right side to right side. If you want to use the “attached gore method”, scroll down to the red mitten photos.
Bast the tumb in place, with the raw edge of the inside piece visible.
Baste the inside seam of the wrist, and continue up basting the tumb to the outside piece.
Before basting the rest of the mitten together, put in a gathering seam around the top piece to to gather it to match the inside. If you have already basted the seam allowance to guide you, you may use this thread and pull it gently to gather the top of the outside fabric together.
Gather the fabric so it fits to the inside piece, and distribute the folds evenly. Sew a basting seam holding them together.
Baste around the top and continue down to the gore. Put this in place, baste both sides, and then you are ready to try the mitten on!
Looks nice! Remember to try your mitten on with the right side out.
I chose a linen thread 35/2 and backstitches, to make the seam sturdy. I follow along the basting threads, and rip these out as I go along (or afterwards if you prefer). Place the seam 1 mm inside the basting seam instead of on top of it, to avoid sewing the basting seam to the mitten.
The tumb is secured with whip stitches, this is on the inside while felling the seam. You can see some red thread which is the decoration from below. I felled the seams to one side after sewing them, to make the mitten more comfortable and the seams more resistant to water.
To secure the raw edge of the inside piece where the thumb is, I chose to make a decorative stitching with wool thread, sewing on the right side. I used a blanket stitch for the edge, and then an embroidery stitch for added decor. Instead of doing this, you can whipstitch the tumb in place on the right side.
Decorating mittens are fun, but don’t show in the historical sources I used.
Soon finished, now I need to finish the embroidery and hem the bottom edge!
The historical red mittens
I made another pair of mittens to be used for medieval reenactment, big enough to be able to insert a smaller mitten or lining for added warmth. These are made without embroidery, and instead I made the thumb hole seam like this:
Cut the pieces out as above, and then fold the seam allowance in, but only in the tumb hole. Press with an iron to make it lie flat.
Work from the right side and pin the tumb in place. If the tumb seem a bit large for the hole, don’t mind that but just follow the seam allowance. This will create more space for movement for the tumb.
Whip stitch the tumb in place, from the right side. (This is what I referred to when I wrote that you can use the “inserted gore” method.)
Another round of whipstitching on the inside to secure the seam allowance. Make the tumb on the other mitten the same way, and finish the rest of the mittens as above.
Felling seams inside small garments: It is often easier to finish one seam before making the next one. Sew one seam, press and cut it, then sew it down with whipstitching. After that, take the next seam etc.
If you want to sew the mitten together first, I find it easier to work with my hand inside the mitten while felling seams. This way you can adjust the seam and seam allowance while sewing, and keep the fabric stretched out. You are also sure not to accidentally sew throught the next layer of mitten.
Stretching out the fabric and seam with my hand, while sewing with the other.
If you want to make a pair yourself, the pdf including a pattern, can be found on my Etsy and Patreon. If you have 2023 years Advent Calendar, you will find the pattern in there. If you have larger or smaller hands than size 9-11, you might need to make a mock up/test the mittens in cheap fabric to adjust the sizing (mainly the width and lenght of the front and back pieces).
