Hand muff

[galadhir]

So, our church is always freezing and is extra so at the moment with the heating broken. (It's an ancient stone building from the 13th century and is way too big for the size of the congregation, and even in the dead of winter, it's colder in there than it is out of doors.)

The congregation dress for the Arctic, but the choir have to wear surplusses and albs and put up with it for the glory of God.

They see me sitting in my pew with my white fur hand muff, my hands clasped inside and so toasty warm that they are glowing, and they make a beeline for me after the service to tell me "That looks warm!"

So I decide that clearly what's needed is for me to buy some red material (to match their robes) and make muffs for the whole choir.

I come home and order a metre of heavy cotton (for the outside) a metre of red teddy fleece (for the inside) and a metre of thermal batting (to be hidden in the middle and give the muff that nice, round, plump look.)

Years ago DH had already been through the "That looks warm!" "I'll make you one," process, and I had made him an extra manly muff with army green fleece inside and camouflage fabric on the outside. But I had no idea how to do it properly, and I had just folded in the ends and seamed them visibly like some sort of amateur. (It kept him warm. He didn't care.)

But this time feels more public and I want to do it properly. So while I wait for the material to arrive, I find a website that gives me instructions on measurements and where to sew first and how to turn it out:

How To Make A Muff For Ladies And Girls

and I decide to make a practice one to see how it turns out.

As per the instructions, I grab some material from my stash left over from other projects and measure out a 17" by 13" rectangle from outer, inner and filling layers and sew them together in the order the website says.

What emerges is a very long, thin sausage. I can get my hands in it, but I have quite small hands, and it's hard to get them far enough in to touch each other. (Which they need to do if they are to share body heat like two MCs caught in a snowstorm.)

That's weird I think. Well, clearly it doesn't need to be 17" long, and it could do to be more than 13" around. Maybe I'll try it at 15" by 15".

So I delve back into the stash and make another one. Which is also too long and thin.

This is weird, I think again, it's almost like 17" by 13" is right, but you need to make the top the 13" and turn it out through the sides.

So I try doing that, and my third attempt results in a muff which is absolutely fine (and no visible seams!)

As you can see, the outer material of this is left over from my tartan dungarees, and the inner material is left over from the lining of DH's banyan.

On further consideration and like a flash of lightning, I finally realize that the original instructions had made a mistake in telling you to sew along the longer side first. You sew the short sides of the inner material and batting together (inner facing up). Then you place the outer material face down onto the pile and sew everything together along the long edges.

Then you turn it inside out and sew the inner/batting to itself, the outer to itself, leaving a hole you turn everything out of. Then you hand sew the hole closed.

The 17" by 13" dimensions were right the whole time. The instructions just told you to start sewing on the wrong edge.

So now my stash is much reduced, and I am ready to do the choir's ones as soon as the red fleece arrives.

Comments

[galadhir]

Thank you :) Yes we were well below zero last weekend, so I was wearing three layers of thermal vests, leggings, thick dress made of sweatshirt material, 18th Century petticoat and overdress, snow boots and fur coat, because it can get cold sitting still in an unheated stone building for an hour and a half. And then there were the choir in two layers of cotton robes, looking like they were suffering. So it seemed like a good idea. I just hope the red fabric turns up before Christmas!

[vriddy]

Oh dear!! I'm willing to believe singing requires enough energy to warm yourself a bit, but that still seems like very few layers under those conditions! Also crossing fingers for the fabric turns up on time :)

[galadhir]

Ah no, to be fair I mean that they have to wear their robes instead of a coat, so they've still got street clothes on underneath, which I'm sure include a lot of thermal layers :) But not being able to wear a warm coat is a problem.