Oven mitts are an absolute necessity in any kitchen, no matter what you're cooking. They come in so many pretty patterns these days that it's tempting to buy every pair you see when you walk into a store. The problem? Buying lots of oven mitts adds up, but even if you're only buying one pair for the cook in your life, it's hard to find oven mitts that feel unique or personable and often time those that do fit a person's personality trade function for style. We have your solution. If you'd like to learn a fun, easy way to craft your own beautiful, one-of-a-kind oven mitts, read on below!
What you'll need:
- Fabric scissors
- sewing machine
- fabric pen/pencil
- safety pins
- ruler or measuring tape
- iron
- ironing board
- fabric for the outer mitt (4 pieces, 13"x20" each). Remember, this fabric will be getting very hot, so make sure to use a heat-safe fabric. Thick cotton is great for an outer layer.
- matching thread
- insulated fabric (2 pieces, 13"x20" each)
- 1/2 yd matching double-sided bias tape
- oven mitt pattern template (or a pen and paper to create your own).
Instructions
- Step 1: If you have an oven mitt template that you need to print out, do so now. If you don't, you can find one easily online and print it, but you can also draw your own. Take a blank piece of paper, lay your hand flat down on it so that your wrist is also on the paper, and simply trace an oven mitt pattern around your own hand. Once you've either drawn or printed your template, cut out the oven mitt pattern and set it to the side.
- Step 2: Layer your fabric pieces so that it makes a "sandwich." In order to do this correctly, you need to lay one piece of the future oven mitt's exterior fabric laying with the patterned/exterior side down. Next, lay the piece of insulated fabric so that it's shiny side up, and then lay the second piece of the exterior fabric laying right side up. The "right side" here is the side you want to be visible when the oven mitt is completed, showing off the pattern or design you wanted, while the "wrong side" is the side of the fabric you don't want to be visible. Once the layers are evenly aligned, keep them together with safety pins so that they don't slip and slide. Repeat this step so that you have two fabric "sandwiches" pinned, laying them side by side.
- Step 3: If you want to quilt your oven mitts, use your fabric pen and ruler/measuring tape to mark your quilting lines on both fabric "sandwiches." Sew your lines in with your sewing machine and the color-matching thread. NOTE: Oven mitts that are quilted tend to offer more support when you're trying to carry things like pots, pans, and casserole dishes. It takes a little more time, but it's worth doing.
- Step 4: After you've quilted the fabric (if you decide to do so), take your oven mitt template and lay it on one half of the first fabric "sandwich," tracing it with your fabric pen. Flip the template so that it faces your outline like a mirror, and then do the same thing. Repeat this step on the second fabric "sandwich" as well.
- Step 5: Carefully cut out all of the oven mitt shapes. You now have two oven mitts divided into four halves!
- Step 6: Layer the 4 halves so that they look like 2 oven mitts, but make sure they look like they're laying inside out, with what will be the inner lining visible. Stitch the halves together, leaving the hand hole open.
- Step 7: If needed, clip the inner part of the thumb so that it isn't too rounded, but don't cut too close to the stitching since doing so might cause fraying.
- Step 8: Flip each oven mitt inside out using a spare pencil's eraser end or another long and blunt instrument so that you don't poke a hole through the fabric. Then iron each mitt with your iron and ironing board so that it lies flat.
- Step 9: Take your double-sided bias tape and line it up with the bottom of your oven mitts so that half of it covers the fabric's exposed raw edge at the wrist and then fold the under half under so that it goes inside the wrist. Clip the bias tape into place before stitching and make sure each oven mitt's wrist is completely covered at the edge.
- Step 10: Sew the double-sided tape onto the oven mitt.
- Step 11: Go make a fresh batch of cookies with your hand-made oven mitts!
Sometimes, we spend way too much money on something that we could easily make ourselves. There are more benefits to crafting your own oven mitts than saving a few bucks, though; hand-made oven mitts make great gifts and quaint heirlooms that you can pass down to your children or grandchildren. Every time they use those oven mitts in kitchens of their own, they'll think of you. It might seem silly, but items that are hand-crafted with such love and care have a kind of magic about them.
If you don't have anyone in mind that you'd like to pass your oven mitts down to and are just looking to craft cute oven mitts (and maybe even sell them), your possibilities are endless. There are so many beautiful and unique fabrics out there that making a pair of oven mitts no one has seen before is a piece of cake! Let your imagination run wild and enjoy every dish you serve using your beautiful, hand-made oven mitts.
