Friday, November 22, 2019

Use-What-You-Have Mittens for Phoebe

No surprise, Phoebe's sloth mittens were too small for her this fall when I dumped out the boxes of kid winter stuff and checked.  Sidenote: one of my biggest thrifty tips is thinking ahead to what you will need and then having the time to find it at a time/place/price that is good for you! So as one season is ending or a holiday is getting closer, I am taking a little time to look at my supplies and think.

So, I thought Phoebe and I would have fun picking out new fleece for mittens, but on the morning that we could run to the nearest fabric store (JoAnn's - ugh), she was dragging her feet about running errands.  I delved into my little box of fleece scraps just in case and you know what? I found enough scraps that suited Phoebe and her new winter coat! 



The purple plaid is actually a beautiful, fine merino wool from a scarf my friend gave me after her dog chewed on one end; she was hoping I could use it to make something.  I did, Stephanie!  The teal fleece is just regular polyester fleece left over from something.



From last year's experience, I put elastic in the wrists.  I made casings from red fleece bias binding - scraps from the Christmas stockings.

Phoebe likes the mittens and wears them and that, I tell you, is Something.  She has strong opinions on her clothes, and I navigate carefully to teach her dressing well and also respect her opinion. I am not the parent who lets the kids wear whatever they want.

The pictures of her on the porch in her winter coat show that she paired a red striped shirt and navy striped leggings - I suggested the denim jumper and red socks. Success!


This outfit is a combined effort: she put the short-sleeved dress and leggings together, I made sure she had a navy cardi and pink socks and bypassed the flowered sneakers.  I think the splashy roses look good together! Wonder what other combinations we will cook up together. . .

7 comments:

Nancy In Boise said...

How cute, great re-purposing!

Alica said...

Love this, and she looks so cute in her glasses!

Becky said...

CUTE! She's got good style. I let go of trying to dress my girl at a very early age - it was apparent before she was two that she had a very innate sense of fashion as well as what looked good on her, so the only arguments we ever had was what was appropriate for the weather. She may actually have better taste than me sometimes. I love Phoebe's ensembles!

Simply Steph said...

So glad you found a use for that chewed-up scarf! Well done! By the way, I bought that lambswool scarf in Scotland when I was there with Mel.

Margo said...

Lambswool! Thank you! And yes, I did remember the scarf/trip detail; Phoebe was wearing the kilt Mel got for Genevieve this morning in church. That's how long ago that trip was - oh my.

e said...

The mittens turned out beautifully! I love how they coordinate with her winter coat, and with that fine wool they will be nice and warm.
Phoebe has definite style! I remember when my daughter was little and would try on multiple outfits per day. I didn't mind once I trained her in putting them away afterwards...

BLD in MT said...

What a fun post, Margo. You seem to be wisely picking your battles and doing the subtle art of suggestion! Those mittens are swell--I love the scarf backstory. That's a when life gives you lemons make lemonade solution to dog chewing.