Help us sew upcycled mittens to donate to Sonoma County Acts of Kindness! We will provide the pattern and materials (as supplies last), you provide your creativity and sewing expertise. Our goal is to sew 50 pairs of cozy mittens between October 11th and November 22nd, which will be donated to help keep our unsheltered community members warm this winter.
Come to the Hub for our kickoff event on Sunday, Oct 11th, as part of North Bay Zero Waste Week, to pick up a sewing pattern, template, and materials, and also get tips and tricks from our volunteers on how to cut and sew this pattern!
Then, between October 11th and November 22nd, sew your mittens and return them to the Reuse Hub when complete! After November 22nd we will donate the mittens and they will be distributed to people who need help staying warm this winter.
The Pattern
Our pattern is sized to fit a large men’s hand, the size most needed for distribution. The pattern is available for free to participating sewists who can commit to sewing at least one pair of mittens to donate! If you are not able to visit the Reuse Hub to pick up materials, you can email emily@reusealliance.org for details about participating remotely.
The Materials
This project is made possible by a very large, extremely generous donation of partially felted wool sweater pieces. Local participants can come to the Hub on or after October 11th to pick up materials. Materials are available for free (up to 2lbs per person, as supplies last) for those committed to donating their mittens - if you want to make a pair for yourself to keep, additional materials will be for sale at $6/lb!
If we run out of our wool material, never fear, we can creatively keep sewing with plenty of upcycled fabrics! Other great choices include fleece, sweatshirt material, and cotton quilted to a layer of batting. Feel free to get creative with your own materials! Wondering if you can come pick up more materials to make more pairs? Email emily@reusealliance.org and we will let you know if our wool fabric is still available.
We ask that donated mittens for this project keep to a relatively neutral color palette (black, gray, brown, dark blue, dark green). Patchwork is great and welcome within these color restrictions!
The Sewing
This pattern is suitable for confident beginners with access to a sewing machine. Having some prior experience reading sewing patterns is useful but not necessary! Only a small amount of hand sewing is required.
If you want support with the pattern, you have options!
Come to our Kickoff Event on Sunday October 11th from 1-4pm to see how the pattern goes together and ask questions.
Come to any of our meetups (Textile meetup 12:30-2:30 on Thursdays, general meetup 5-7pm on Thursdays) to ask questions, work on cutting pieces, or do your sewing
Sign up for our Sweater Mitten Workshop on Sunday October 18th from 1-3pm for lots of support from start to finish
Watch our video tutorial by scanning the QR code on your pattern
If none of these options work for you, email emily@reusealliance.org and we will try to help!
The Conclusion
When your mittens are finished, you can drop them off at the Reuse Hub any time Wednesday-Sunday from 12-6! We welcome any amount of mittens you wish to donate and thank you so much for lending your time and skills to improve the lives of others through reuse.