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The Junk Parlor

DIY Mitten Bunting | Mitten Garland

Miniature in anything is super cute and this DIY mitten bunting is going to make you want to hang one in every room!

Inspiration

Today I am back at it with another DIY for my 25 days of Christmas!  This is one of those projects that I had been thinking about doing for awhile but as a bunch of stockings hung in a row!  Ones I was actually going to make.  Like they would be usable and could hold things. This sweet little mitten bunting is way better because it isn’t just for the holidays. This would be the perfect decor item to keep up all winter long!

Oftentimes, my projects start out with one idea and then completely transform by the time I am done. 

So first we go from stockings I would have had to sew!  Probably from my stash of old feed sacks.  To new sew mittens!  I mean less work and something cute that can be used for a longer season…sounds like a win!

But, the changes to this DIY idea keep coming!

I had the idea to create a mitten bunting cut out of old quilts. Usually I have some old quilts around that are worn, thin, and even a little torn up in places. Like by some I mean 5 or more.  And by worn, I mean that there are sections that have been so loved over the years, that I probably couldn’t even have used them for this craft! But I figured the nice parts would be great for cutting out mittens to make a bunting. 

But of course . . .  I don’t have any quilts that I want to cut up right now! Like NONE!  The quilts I do have are all thick old crazy quilts that are in WAY too good of condition to be trying to cut up!

I had to come up with something else to use. This led me to digging through my stash to find something that I might be able to use.

What I Used

I considered old fabric or old feed sacks but I knew that it might just flop around on the bunting and not look very good. I wanted something stiff that would hold its shape on the bunting. I know, I know I could just iron on some stiffener or  stabilizer (this is what Amazon recommends) to the fabric, but that would mean I needed to go buy something and pull out my iron.

Who even irons anymore?  Not me!  One I don’t have anything that you would iron since the majority of my closet is workout clothes and jeans. And two if something needs ironed I stick it in the dryer! LOL! Tell me I’m not the only one!

So, we are back to digging through what I already have.

My stash really came through! I found some old table cloths – you know the ones with a slick side that are easy to wipe down? People put them on picnic tables, or my mother-in-law used to have them on her table for the holidays. I knew these would be perfect for my project and I already had them on hand. Win-win!

You might be wondering why I had these in my stash anyway?

Well you see I always decorate one of my vintage trucks for the season.  And every year I try to do something a little different.  So as I decorated my truck one Christmas I came up with the idea to make packages out of wood scraps.  But I wanted to wrap them in something.  The thin plastic disposable tablecloths came to mind, but I thought they were just too thin and would rip and get beat up in the elements.  That led me to these thicker, more sturdy tablecloths, but I didn’t want to invest in a bunch of new ones if I didn’t know if they would work or not!

So I put it on my pickin’ list.  And a year later had only sourced two!

Now I’m sure if I had tried hard I could have easily found them thrifting and out at garage sales, but I actually stopped looking, because I had came up with a better idea for the packages!

I had never gotten rid of these tablecloths because I thought if nothing else I could use them as drop cloths!

So, sourcing the material for the mittens was probably the most difficult part of this project, the rest of the steps are easy. This is the type of project that you can easily complete in less than an hour!

**this buffalo check tablecloth would be really cute

Make some for yourself and your friends while you watch your favorite HGTV episode! 

Making Mitten Buntings

The Mittens

After finding the tablecloths to make the mittens out of, I printed off an outline of a mitten from the internet. I did a quick google search for free mitten images and then simply picked the mitten shape I liked best. 

The other benefit to creating your stencil online is that you can manipulate the size! I chose to create slightly larger mittens, but imagine a bunting of mini baby mittens. That would be super cute!!

I cut out my mitten stencil and then traced around it on the front or smooth side of my tablecloth with a sharpie. If you want a sturdier stencil you could easily create one with a chunk of cardboard. (Or buy one)

Then I took my scissors and carefully cut out my mittens. For crisp cuts use fabric scissors if you have them. Otherwise, a pair of regular scissors will work.  The better your scissors the more mittens you can cut at a time!

Tip:  remember that if you choose to fold your tablecloth that the thumbs on the mittens will be pointing in different directions.  If you want your thumbs to be pointing in the same direction, then you need to stack the tablecloths, so they are all facing the same way when you cut multiples.

I cut out my mittens and was ready to attach them to the string. You might want to give your mittens a little something extra – maybe stitching around the outside or adding trim to the cuffs. You can add that embellishment either before you put the mittens on the string or after.

Next I rummaged in my stash again for a string to put my mittens on. You want to be thoughtful about the string you are choosing. The thickness of the string should compliment the size of your mitten. I used twine! You could use ribbon, lace or even a shoelace depending on what fabric your mittens are cut from. 

TIP: Make sure your materials complement each other in size. The thickness of your string should be proportional to the size of your mittens. This creates a visual balance between the string and items attached to the string.

Attaching the Mittens

There are several methods you could use to attach them to the string. I chose to use hot glue, and attach them at the corner of the mitten. You could glue them straight across, you could use mini clothespins, or you could punch holes in the mittens and weave your string through.

Once you have your mittens attached you are done! This is the fun part, styling them up! Hang it on a hutch, your mantle, or tie to the knobs of a sideboard. I styled mine a few ways to give you some ideas! 

Another thing I love about this bunting DIY – it is easy to store. When the season is over with, fold it up and tuck it away!

DIY Mitten Bunting Garland

Tools & Materials for Mitten Bunting Garland:

  • Mitten Stencil – I found mine online!
  • Tablecloth, Quilt, or any material you would like to use
    • Optional – if it’s something light white, get stiffener too
  • Scissors
  • Sharpie
  • String
  • Hot Glue Gun & Glue

STEPS for Mitten Bunting Garland:

  1. Look online and find a mitten outline you like to use as a stencil. Or, freehand one!
  2. Print your mitten outline and cut it out.
  3. Trace around the stencil onto the tablecloth with a sharpie.
  4. Cut out mittens.
  5. Glue mittens onto the string.
  6. Display!

Even more Inspiration

For another bunting tutorial, check out my post on Creating a Simple Patriotic Bunting!

Make sure you are following along with me on Facebook so you don’t miss any of my 25 Days of DIY lives this December. If you haven’t heard, each day of December leading up to Christmas I am posting a video or going live with a DIY project. This is my 3rd year doing this, so there are tons of projects available to meet your style!

One all time favorite Christmas project… Paper Stack Tree.

Do you have a ton of vintage bulbs like I do? Make this Simple DIY Christmas Decoration with Vintage Light Bulbs.

Have you ever done an embellishment project? Give this one a try: Embellishing Breyer Horses for Christmas

If you love hand painted signs, this DIY is for you: Simple Gorgeous Vintage Merry Christmas Stencil.

This post may contain affiliate links for the products I use and recommend. I am not paid to promote these products. If you purchase using my affiliate links, I could make a small commission at no charge to you.

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