I promised that I would do this post back last month or so, but seeing as this summer turned into a hamster ball full of craziness....I'm now just getting around to it.
Now I have idea of what you were thinking when I announced that I had made a classic winter accessory in the middle of summer...that I was really spontaneous. Or crazy.
It all started as I cleaning out my fabric stash from various places in my room as part of Operation Vintage Makeover. A very necessary step in the cleaning process, I assure you, seeing as how there was a very nice wooden sewing cabinet ready to receive it.
As I was going through some of the boxes, I found this piece of faux white fur.
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| No, it is not folded sloppily, that is a piece cut out of it. Which made things so much more complicated. |
At first, I was just going to hide it with the rest of the fabric, but further finagling proved that it wasn't going to go into the sewing cabinet willingly.
Hence, a project was needed for it.
But what to do with it? It's small, too small for a hat, and it seemed a crime to cut it for trim.
It was about this time that I checked an old notebook where I had a tally of projects that I wanted to make. And one was a Victorian muff.
I really liked the aesthetics of it (what says winter better than white?), and the size really seemed perfect. So now, to find out how to make the muff.
Lucky for me, YouTube saved the day.
Looked simple enough...right?
I first sewed the side edge, wrong sides together, as close as I could without incorporating that cut edge. I didn't want to take it off, because I could that use that edge to cover the seam (and therefore finish it).
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| And yes, I'm assembling this by my cramped computer desk. Because my room is an absolute shambles.... |
The next step proved to be the most troublesome. I now had to get the top edge into the bottom edge to create a tube. It was during this tussle that I realized that the piece was just a little too long to wrap around my hands.
Hence there was at least a half hour or so of me stuffing at least a third of the fur into itself. *wheeeee*
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| the curled bottom edge really helped to tuck everything in |
Now it was time to hand sew the bulky thing together. Because I didn't have long enough pins, there were quite few times when I would have to stop what I was doing and re-stuff the fur back in where I wanted it.
The bottom seam was done up first....
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| It was a seeming miracle that the fur lines actually lined up.... |
And then each side was folded in and stitched down. I did my best to follow the fur lines so that the stitching wasn't as visible.
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| Now to get these folds in where they belong! |
While I was stitching this in place, I was listening to documentaries and Sensus Fidelium sermons. I love to listen to something while I work with my hands, it gives my active brain something to munch on.
Within an afternoon or so, the muff was....done!!
Once I was assured that nothing was going to pop out of it's place, I went for a quick photoshoot with my winter coat.
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| The muff is a little uneven here - not sure if it's how my hands were sitting or what |
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| Side View - which looks more attractive, in my not-so-humble opinion |
All in all, it worked out so much better than I expected and I now have a fancy accessory that I can keep my hands warm in this winter!!
Come to the fire and chat with me! What is your favorite winter accessory? Do you listen to things as you go about your day? What has been your favorite YouTube tutorial or channel?
Old-fashionably yours,
Catherine
