Hello all,
Here's a primer on making shell mitten palms.
Starting with your own hands...
A simple way to think about making a mitten pattern is to trace your hand, thumb out at a natural angle. Add about 1.25" to 1.5" of additional size to the palm and fingers, and 1" to your thumb. Smooth the shape so it looks kinda Gumbyish. Then cut a slit down the line of the thumb to about 1/2" from your index finger. Take note of the depth of the slit <A to B in the next photo>, you'll need the measurement in a moment.
To make the panel for the rear of the thumb <known henceforth as THUMB BACK>, trace the shape of the thumb directly from the palm portion. Trace it from B, out around the tip to C, down to D, and over to E. D and E help to define the bottom edge of the thumb back, the portion that lies over your wrist. The line from B to E is roughly where the thumb potion of the shell will pivot once it is assembled. Now extend the top edge of the thumb back by the addition of the distance from A to B. Extend the bottom line, what would be the bottom/wrist potion of the mitten by two times the distance from A to B to form the full length of D to F. Connect A to F to form the outside edge of the thumb panel. If you like, mark points A, B, C, and D on the back of each leather piece. You will need them for registration marks when you sew them together.
Lay the pieces good sides together so that B, C, and D are aligned.
Now rotate the outer thumb panel around point B so that points A and B are aligned. Point A is where we begin the assembly.
Start your stitching at A, be sure to lock the thread by backing up once or twice. Sew down towards B.
IMPORTANT- to be sure that you have consistent stitches around this tight curve, walk the machine slowly by hand until you have reached B. Sink the needle completely, then raise it up about 1/3 of the way. When you see that the upper thread is starting to draw down through the leather, you know that you have engaged the hook and will get a complete stitch. If you don't see the thread cycling through the stitch hole, you might not get a good stitch, which might make you thumbs feel a bit drafty.
Begin walking the needle around the corner, one stitch at a time. After each stitch, raise the presser foot, and rotate BOTH piece of leather a little bit in an effort the align the C points. Don't rush this.
It takes me about 6 complete stitches and 6 different shifts of the leather to make a nice curved seam. This is the most critical seam in your whole mitten, so patience pays off.
Once you've rounded the corner, stretch the panels out slightly and work towards the thumb tip and the C points.
Round the tip, and aim for the D points.
Stop at D,and lock up the stitches.
Continued in the next post....
