advice for homemade mitts

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tulak

New Member
Oct 24, 2020
1
0
31
slovakia
hi, i decided to make some mitts, i looked up some designs around the internet for inspiration and made some dummies from cheap fabric to get and adjust the shape pattern , now i am deciding what materials and layers will make the final product and could use some advice
expectations: keep my hands warm on windy peaks, worst temperatures not less than -15 celsius, i dont expect them to stay dry after extended rain, i do expect them to withstand some contact with wet snow or short burst of rain, i also intend to use them around fire



the 1st, top layer is supposed to be ventile(for the back and wrist part of the mitt) and leather(for palm pieces)

the 2nd layer i thought about some warm fabric (fleece? fibre pile?) that will be permanently attached with the top layer, but not too bulky because
i want to be able to put in a removable liner of custom choice or a thicker liner glove

i have read some articles/posts about 2 layers of ventile with fleece / fibre pile in between them, if i wanted this in my mitt, does that mean adding a 3rd layer underneath the 2nd, the 3rd being plain ventile? (if i put a bare hand in the mitt, hand would be touching the ventile 3rd layer)
do you think this would be neccessary? i dont want to make it too complicated but my hands get cold easily so i dont know if the benefits(if any at all?) outweigh the hassle

i am also not sure if the leather in the 1st, top layer should be laid over ventile fabric of identical shape (that would make the entire 1st top layer of ventile, + leather reinforcement on top of palm), or have only the leather as standalone (touching the 2nd layer) ?

i am hand sewing the project, i see the seams as critical places that let water in, but i am not making them for extensive rain so can it be that big a problem?
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Since it's very cold here in winter, the snow is like sugar and waterproofing isn't a big point.
I have thin leather mitten shells and several pairs of warm soft (fuzzy) liners, even a pair of gloves that will fit.
The mittens are for travel, just to keep warm. Maybe to hold a shovel or an axe or a snow knife.
The inner gloves are for dexterity. The leathers dry quite quickly in the warm, very dry air of my house.

1. There are examples of Inuit mittens in the University of British Columbia, Museum of Anthropology.
All you have to do is Google UBC/MOA. Then you click on the online collection and sort through that for mittens.
Might as well look at the "masters of mittens."

2. It would be a disaster if you lose a mitten. Or if it falls in the snow and you get some to melt inside.
Use a long leather boot lace to tie the mittens to each other. The cord runs up your sleeves and across your back,
inside your coat. The boot lace is greased so it won't hold water, stuff like paracord might freeze solid and stiff.

3. Make at least 2 sets and please show us your efforts.
 

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