Operation Mittens

Ever since Dad died in 2014, I've had his wool Army blanket here in the closet.

About 3 years ago, at quilt camp, friend Mary showed me how to make wool mittens out of an old wool sweater.  Wool sweaters are washed in hot water to 'felt' the fabric and then mittens are sewn using fleece for a soft, snuggly lining.  

It's a tricky little project but makes a really warm pair of mittens.

I started thinking that the wool blanket might make nice mittens, as much as I hated to cut it into pieces.  After some time went by, I pulled the blanket out and washed it in hot water.

It was already a tight weave but now it was ideal for mittens.

I started bringing the blanket to quilt camp each Spring and Fall.  Thinking I would make mittens for Dad's grandsons from that blanket.  I would talk about making mittens, but always had another project to do, or the wrong patterns, or some other excuse.

I was undecided about what to do about the size.  I knew they had to be large enough for big hands.  Mary was mostly making the size that would just fit my hands, too small for big men.

About a year ago, friend Sharon sent me all sizes of mitten patterns from little little to XXL.

That took care of another excuse.

I had really given up on this idea after hauling that blanket back and forth for 3 or 4 camps.

But Mary suggested I bring it again this Fall and I did.

She was cranking out mittens like crazy out of old sweaters.  Mary donates the mittens she makes to the thrift store in Ashland that is run by the Humane Society.  They make a nice profit for the animals.  So, of course, the blanket was once again a topic of discussion.

Finally, late Saturday night, after some prodding, I pulled out the blanket and decided I had a large enough pattern and would cut out some mittens.  I cut out one pair and sewed it up with Mary's coaching.  I had forgotten the steps, so sewing the first one reminded me of the process.  I had red fleece to use as liner, and I have to say I was pleased with the final result of the prototype.

Prototype.

Once I had sewn one, I decided I would cut out the other 4 pair, and then sew them later on at home.

So, I started cutting.

One nice thing about that blanket, it was not directional at all, so I could use every inch of blanket.

I quickly had pieces for six 2XL mittens cut and plenty of blanket left. 

So, I picked a smaller size pattern and continued to cut and soon I had 5 pair of smaller mittens cut, ready to piece together.

 It's starting to look like a bunch of sewing to do.

 Pieces and pieces.

I decided to sew mittens on 11.2.2018

4 years since Dad left us, so I would remember him by sewing.

 Pinning is the key, it's important to be sure you end up with 1 right hand mitten and 1 left hand mitten.  So, laying out the pieces and pinning helped keep me organized.

 Then, production sewing.

Sewing the same step over and over made it easier and allowed for some improvement of technique.

Starting to look like something now.

 I decided keep things straight by putting a little name tape in each mitten.

I sewed up all the boys mittens first.

 I had to buy 2 more boxes of pins for this project.

 This step is the last before turning the mitten.

Once the lining is attached to the outer wool,

there is a final seam to stitch, and then the big reveal.

Ta Da!

 The 2XL mittens are done.

Dad had 5 grandsons, so each will have a pair, and one extra will go to Glenn.

Now for the smaller mittens.

 Dad had 3 granddaughters, but there were 5 smaller sized pair of mittens.

So, Laila and Wanda get mittens too.

 Thinking about how I would present the mittens to the kids, I decided to sew up some little cinch bags for the mittens to live in.

I had enough camo fabric for 6 bags and made the rest out of some green material out of my stash.

 Operation Mittens is done.

So, the only thing left was to dish out the mittens.

I was hoping to personally hand the mittens to the kids so I could explain the Army blanket history.

But I also wrote up a little note to put in each of the mitten bags.

When is an Army Blanket no longer a blanket?

Did you know?

Army Blankets were issued to our military during WWII.  Many were made by the woolen mills in Faribault, Minnesota.  These blankets were part of the gear that servicemen hauled with them.

Valdemar P. Johansen hauled his Army blanket from Navy Seabee basic training in Davisville, RI to Iwo Jima, Maui and all stops in between.  After his discharge in 1945, this blanket traveled back to Wisconsin with him, and eventually ended up in Iowa on a shelf in the closet.  That’s where I rescued it from when we cleaned out the Iowa apartment.

Did you know?

When is a blanket no longer a blanket?  Well, when it is mittens of course.

This is your pair of chopper mittens out of that 70+ year old mustard green colored Army blanket.  I cut around the moth holes and made 11 pair of mittens out of that well-traveled blanket.   Each of Valdemar’s grandkids and Glenn, Laila and Wanda will all have Valdemar’s Army Blanket mittens to wear this winter.

So, whether you wear these mittens driving, hunting, fishing or other outdoor activities, Valdemar will be with you in spirit and will be helping to keep your hands toasty and comfy.

With Love,

Wanda

I drove a big loop from Rice Lake, to Baldwin, to Spring Valley to Menomonie, WI to see each of Glenn's kids (and Glenn) on 11.11 to hand them their mittens 

I caught up with 2 of Gus's kids at the Veteran's Day program at Luck on 11.12, left Ryan's in his work shop and had to mail Kris and Laila's to them.

Kris and Laila will get theirs last, but that should happen by Thursday of this week.

It is good to reuse, recycle and re-purpose.

Re-purposing that old blanket into toasty warm mittens is one of the best projects I have ever done.

I know everyone loves the mittens and I am sure that Dad would be tickled to see that blanket getting so much use again.  I'm keeping mine in the car for those chilling days before the inside of the car warms up, my hands are toasty.

So, what's next?

Not to worry, I have a couple of other projects up my sleeve.

Life is Good.