For a while now I've had people ask me about making oven mitts along with the pot holders I enjoy. The truth of the matter is, I don't use an oven mitt (I find them uncomfortable) so it never seemed a priority for me. But lately I've been thinking about how to expand the appeal of some of my sellable items.

So a couple of weeks ago I began the process by making 2 rectangles of quilted fabric, using muslin as the backing, and my usual combo of one layer of Insul-Bright batting and one layer of Warm & Natural 100% cotton batting. For this first test run I also decided to use a fun fabric that's been sitting in my stash for years...

And then yesterday I finally got around to tracing an oven mitt I happen to have (which might never have been used as far as I know) using a micron pen on the muslin side of the quilted sandwiches. Mirror images on each side. And pure luck would have it, once I actually cut them out they just about matched!

The next few steps went quite smoothly. I learned while playing with a different kind of prototype a couple of months ago that when putting a binding on a narrow circular edge one should do that BEFORE closing up the seam. So, on went the binding to each of the sides of the mitt and then I sewed approximately 1/4" to 3/8" from the edge all around the rest of it.

It seems I made the thumb a little short and high up, so that will need adjusting.

And as I was turning the whole thing right-side-out I realized I should have been using a poly thread for the outer seam, as I heard little pops of snapping stitches here and there in the process. Ooops. And then there's where the fabric on the underside didn't quite make it into the seam...

Oh, and remember that cool loop I made with the binding?

Did any of you all see that coming? Obviously I did not. I never was good with figuring out the engineering of a 3-D object — the same thing happens when I try to attach straps in a lined bag. My first attempt always has them inside the wrong layer!

So as I've mentioned, this is just a trial run, but one that I think did its purpose. I got a pretty decent prototype made, and it revealed some of the problems I need to fix. It will just make it easier to try another one soon! And let me tell you, I have PLENTY of Halloweeny fabric to play with!!