from the north country: ten fingers workshop
February 9th, 2011
Staying warm: a few crafts from the snowy north
This sweater mitten tutorial from five green acres changed my life this winter. I’ve made about 20 of them, for friends and family. They are satisfyingly quick, economical and most importantly warm. This set was for a family who has an annual camp out on a frozen lake, I have yet to participate but I thought their digits could use some extra protection.
Insulated Curtains: a must have for a drafty old house that sees 4 months of winter winds that come from the north. These curtains were really simple to make too. Heavy Ikea fabric and a quilted mattress cover, that had been torn by the washing machine, made for an simple panel curtain. Made a bit longer than the windows so it can be tucked on the sill to keep drafts down. Not the fanciest thing I’ve ever made, but it has made the most difference.
Minor improvements every year keep us treading through winter namely a netflix membership and lots of wool. I hope you stay warm too.
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You can find Lily over at tenfingersworkshop. She blogs about motherhood, sewing, making art and part time homesteading. Stop by for a visit!
Thank you meg for letting me guest post for you this week!
I could stand to make about a dozen pairs of mittens for us all, too. That Girl loses about a mitten a week at school. Not the greatest inspiration for making – the almost guarantee that the handmade will get lost, but it’s still necessary, I guess. I could probably get away with making a dozen left mittens only – seems she always comes home with the right!
I needed that quilted curtain picture for inspiration! We do the same thing already, but need some “bulk”! Happy February from the arctic known as Chicagoland.
Those insulated curtains are so smart. We live in a big old drafty house with a gazillion windows and these are just what we need…
great! I had a bunch of vintage pleated polyester insulated curtains but once I put them up it dated my house in the wrong way ( even though I love vintage) . These were a little more modern and seemed to work better. I hope you make some too.
Those sweater mittens are darling! I’m in love with the blue and hot pink ones – one of my favorite combos!
Thank you, thank you for the link! I can’t wait to make some mittens!
Thos mittens look great…will try to make them for next year!
These curtains are ingenious! Better than sliced bread. I’m moving into an apt building with known draft issues so this idea will come in handy. Thanks!