Monthly Archives: February 2011

Cutting out:
It’s probably not necessary for me to go into a lot of detail here about how to cut out pattern pieces, it is pretty straightforward and the same as any other dressmaking pattern, but with a few little reminders…  
I think a very important thing to remember when cutting out glove pattern pieces is that you will be sewing 3mm seams.  These are tiny little seam allowances here… so if you are like me, and as a time saving exercise mark your marking points with a little snip into the seam allowance then you will have to re-think this one.  I went back to the old ways that my mother taught me, and earmarked those little triangles by snipping them out… so they are little points sticking outside the seam allowance like a tiny shark fin on a smooth sea.  I was pretty pleased with myself for remembering to do this… and didn’t just steamroller in and snip them in like normal!

Also, remember those wince-y little gusset pieces? well I just knew they would get all mixed up as the differences between the three pieces are extremely subtle, so I left cutting them out until I was actually using that particular gusset piece right there and then.  When working with teensy little fiddly pieces I find this approach to be far less stressful.
So leave them be, for the time being…

The first step is to stay stitch down around the bottom of the finger bits, and I was lazy here and just used the thread that was already on the needle which happened to be black.  Plus I wanted it to stand out for the photo here, so we could see it… but later on I heartily wished I had used matching thread.  The black does show through a tiny bit.  I regret this.  Important tip; despite that you are treating this as a muslin, if, like me, you entertain a tiny hope that these gloves will be wonderful enough to live permanently in your wardrobe…  treat them with the same respect you would if using your final fashion fabric; use matching thread!

The next step is to cut down each finger “valley”

Seams:
The seam allowance on my pattern is given as 3mm.  I decided to be super accurate and use my fading pen (still got it from my quilting days) and draw in the seam allowance for me to sew over.  Two reasons for this: a 3mm seam allowance is too tiny to be even marked on my old machine; also a 3mm seam is not one I ever use so I am unfamiliar with it and didn’t trust my eye to gauge it.

The fabric I am using is a type that my machine doesn’t particularly like and traditionally likes to chew up, particularly when I am asking it to start sewing a tiny little seam from the edge of the fabric… so I sewed most of the seams starting in the middle and ending up on the edge of the fabric.  This approach works well and I don’t run the risk of a chewed up edge.  My machine doesn’t have the same problem with the end edge of a seam…  (note to self; should have used matching thread… but at least you can see what I’m talking about here)

The thumb:
So, once I had finished sewing the thumb seam I turned it right side out for a quick visual check.. and see how it has a rather horrible pimply little bump sticking out at the folded corner on the right?

I was planning to call this glove-making challenge something witty and metaphorical, like “Throwing down the Gauntlet” or some such cleverness, but then I decided… nah, just go with simplicity.  After all, making gloves is complex enough without a fancy schmancy title to put people off…
so without further ado here we go.

Pattern:
I am using Vogue 7949, a pattern for unlined gloves, with nine variations.  However hands are hands, and I’m sure the basics of glove making will be very similar, if not the same for most patterns.  For this first effort, I am going with view A, an elegantly gathered, nearly elbow-length glove with three short rows of attractively slanted pin tucks stitched on the back of the hands. (the silver-grey ones on the left of the middle row)
Fabric: 
The pattern stipulates that a stretch fabric should be used, recommending stretch velvet, stretch satin and stretch synthetic leather or suede.  Synthetic leather or suede is recommended for the contrast trims on a few of the designs, namely the wrist skirtlet (? is there a proper name for that?), which is an area that obviously doesn’t need to be stretchy.
So in my initial trial run of this pattern I am using cotton jersey knit with some stretch in it; and was ultimately planning to make myself suede gloves, using an old skirt that I found in an op shop.  The suede is obviously not stretchy, but I shall cross that bridge when I come to it…  I do have some non-stretchy leather gloves already that are fabulous and when the time comes I will size up how to go about using this pattern to make my own..
The pattern has this handy guide printed on the back of the envelope that Vogue supplies on all its stretch patterns so you can assess whether your fabric is suitable… on too many occasions I have been known to ignore this guide but completely, but as gloves are new territory for me I am obeying the instructions for once!
A folded piece of fabric should stretch from this width: