Fleece – The Finished Garment

I live on Hoth. It’s the only way to describe temperatures hovering around -38°C (-36°F). I really wish that were a typo.

Anyway, I saw the weather forecast last week and decided that my babies needed added warmth, so I got these hats and neck warmers sewn up.

Arctic Trapper Hat sewing pattern from See Kate Sew, made by The Finished Garment. — Arctic Trapper Hat and matching neck warmer.

I actually cut these hats out ages ago, but then didn’t get around to them when it was cold, and then didn’t feel motivated when it was warm. It is no longer warm.

The hats are the Arctic Trapper Hat by See Kate Sew. They are two-layer hats with a hipster feel. I added ear flaps, and I used two layers of fleece to make them warmer. The inside is super soft and the outside has a bit of a berber texture. It’s the same fabric I used to make them mittens.

The hats really do fit quite large, so it’s probably good that I waited a year to sew them up (shuffles feet, avoids eye contact).

The hats turned out really well, but there are two things I might change. The ear flaps poke out a little, so I think I’ll get some buttons for them, like the real grown-up versions. And second, I think they might be better with a chin strap so that they stay flat against the ears to keep them warm. Of course, if I didn’t live in Hoth, they would be just great as is. In fact, I may make another set out of corduroy for fall when chin straps are unnecessary.

The neck warmers were made without a pattern, but measure about 10″ by 10″. They also have two layers.

Since all my kids have the same sets, I sewed different coloured ribbons into the seams of the hats and neck warmers so the kids could tell them apart. They picked out the ribbons themselves.

I had these made up for the beginning of January, but it was just too cold and snowy for an outdoor photo shoot. So I had to wait until this week for a balmy -16°C (3°F). Brrrrrr. Where’s my tauntaun?

This post is part of the Stashbusting Sewalong.

Project Summary

Pattern Review: Arctic Trapper Hats by See Kate Sew, available in sizes 12m-8 (in 4 different sizes).
Fabric: Two layers of polar fleece.
Sizes: 12/18m, 3/4, and 5/6.
Cost: Pattern: 6$. Fabric: $0 (leftover from another project).
Project Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: I added ear flaps.
Results: Great. This was fast, and I love the hipster look.

I didn’t quite get all my Christmas sewing done on time, so this year, all my kids received New Years’ mittens.

Mittens by Oliver + S, sewn by The Finished Garment. — These are the mittens from Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S. This is the extra small. So small. So cute!

The pattern is from the book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew
. I made four pair, in sizes extra-small, small and medium. They are a bit big, but in a nice way.

As always with Oliver + S, the directions were a breeze, but I did make one major change.

I live in Montreal, where it is cold. Very cold. This week it was an icy -38° celsius (that’s about -37° fahrenheit). That is not a typo. Too cold to go for a walk. Too cold to go to the store. Too cold to go outside. Too cold for single layer mittens.

Instead I made a dual-layer mitten. I used super-soft white fleece for the inside. Then I used another grey fleece with a soft berber texture for the outside. I encased the elastic between the layers.

Irene over at Froo & Boo has some great photos on how to do a two-layer mitten with this pattern. She used nylon and PUL to make a waterproof outer layer.

I was more concerned about cold than waterproofing. The extreme cold makes everything incredibly dry, even the snow. And these mittens are cozy.

It was a little tricky sewing together the two layers, with such thick fabric and such tiny mittens, but it didn’t take long.

The fit is great. Even with double laters, you can still pick things up.

And just a quick note about fabric requirements: the pattern calls for 1/4 yard of fabric. I bought two yards of each type of fleece. In the end, I cut out six pair of mittens, and four hats (coming soon), and still had a yard of each left over. If you aren’t sure if you have enough fabric, or are thinking of squeezing these out of scraps, these mittens take up almost no fabric at all.

If you already own this book, there is Little Things To Sew: Cover to Cover Challenge that runs until August 2014. The sew along is organized by Lightning McStitch over at Bartacks and Singletrack.

Summary

Pattern Review: Mittens from the book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew.

Fabric: Two types of polar fleece.

Sizes: XS, S, M

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: I lined the mittens in a second layer of fleece, and encased the elastic between the two layers.

Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and plan to make more.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Tag: Fleece

Arctic Trapper Hats

Project Summary

Mittens!