Glove Pincushion

Glove Pincushion

On Feburary 1, 2001, Leslie, the Moderator of the pincushion@yahoogroups.com mailing list,
organized a pincushion swap with a due date of May 1, 2001.
The subject of the pincushion swap was a glove.
The idea was to find a glove, decorate it with silk ribbon embroidery,
stuffing it with something friendly to needles and pins.
Once finished, the gloves would be swapped with a partner
to be assigned to each participant by Leslie on May 1.
To visit the Glove Pincushion Swap Page:
http://www.silk-ribbon-embroidery.com/glove1.htm

To that end, I decided to document the process that I used to make one type of glove pincushion
and make that information available to members of both the silkribbon@yahoogroups.com list
and the pincushion@yahoogroups.com list.

For those who would like to join the pincushion@yahoogroups.com list,
you may send email to:
pincushion-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Please note that signing up by email means that you can not manage your subscription.
If you would like to subscribe and be able to manage your subscription settings,
you may do so at: http://www.yahoogroups.com.
Once you have a Yahoo! ID, simply search for "pincushion" to find the list,
and then click on "Join."

And now...here are the instructions for the Glove Pincushion:

Pictured are the front and back (palm) of a glove that was purchased in a pair for $.99 at a garden center. These are all-cotton knit gloves.

Sources for gloves are many--you may wish to use heavier garden gloves, or you may wish to use white cotton gloves that can be purchased new, or purchased at a second-hand store. When purchasing items at a second-hand store, it is a good idea to launder them first, so as to remove any musty smells they may have acquired while in storage.

Pictured are the front and back (palm) of the glove turned inside out. As you can see, this glove was sewn with a chain stitch, which is very easily removed. While it is possible to find just the right thread that will unravel the chain stitch, I find it just as easy to use a surgical seam ripper to remove the stitching. Be careful when you remove the stitching that you do not stretch the fabric. Even though the fabric on this particular glove is a knit fabric, it may not "recover" as nicely as you would like after being pulled to remove stitching. My preference is to cut the stitches every inch or so, and then gently pull apart the seams to clip the stitches. I find that this puts less stress on the fabric, and it retains its shape after removing the stitching.

NOTE: I highly recommend removing the stitching from one glove at a time only. The glove that remains intact will serve as a reference not only for embellishing, but also for sewing the glove back together again.

This is what the glove looks like with most of the stitching removed so that it will lie flat. While you can certainly take the glove apart completely, I found it sufficient to remove the stitching from the thumb portion of the glove, and then to remove the stitching from the outter perimeter of the glove.

This is how the glove looks after being embellished. When stitching the glove back together, I used hand stitches with matching thread. I stitched the thumb section first. Depending on the fabric of your glove, you may be able to match the needle marks from the original stitching to assist you in getting the pieces sewn together accurately.

NOTE: If you pin and/or baste the fingers of the glove from the "crotch" up toward the tip of the fingers, it will be easier to ease the fullness over the top of each finger. In other words, this particular glove was made with the top of the glove cut larger than the bottom (palm) of the glove. This results in the top of the finger being eased into the bottom (palm) side of each finger. Pinning and/or basting up the side of each finger helps to ease the tips of the fingers.

Pictured are the embellished and re-sewn bottom (palm) and top of the glove.

Pictured is the stuffed glove and the "back" of the thumb that is not visible in the other pictures. The back of the thumb is embellished with a small Hollyhock to match the larger Hollyhock on the front of the thumb. You may have to stand on your head to see this....

I stuffed this glove pincushion with lavender buds.

This glove pincushion makes a nice gift for your gardening friends, even if they use it as a paperweight or decoration for their desk. It can be patted to release the scent of the lavendar, which has a very calming effect.

NOTE: When stuffing pincushions, be aware that polyester batting wicks moisture, and over time will cause pins and needles to rust. I use organic herbs or cotton or wool batting for my pincushions. Another choice can be unraveled wool sweaters, and even wool clothing that has been cut into strips.

And here is the back of that little thumb.

		Pictured are the front and back (palm) of a glove that was purchased in a pair for $.99 at a garden center. These are all-cotton knit gloves. Sources for gloves are many--you may wish to use heavier garden gloves, or you may wish to use white cotton gloves that can be purchased new, or purchased at a second-hand store. When purchasing items at a second-hand store, it is a good idea to launder them first, so as to remove any musty smells they may have acquired while in storage.

		Pictured are the front and back (palm) of the glove turned inside out. As you can see, this glove was sewn with a chain stitch, which is very easily removed. While it is possible to find just the right thread that will unravel the chain stitch, I find it just as easy to use a surgical seam ripper to remove the stitching. Be careful when you remove the stitching that you do not stretch the fabric. Even though the fabric on this particular glove is a knit fabric, it may not "recover" as nicely as you would like after being pulled to remove stitching. My preference is to cut the stitches every inch or so, and then gently pull apart the seams to clip the stitches. I find that this puts less stress on the fabric, and it retains its shape after removing the stitching. NOTE: I highly recommend removing the stitching from one glove at a time only. The glove that remains intact will serve as a reference not only for embellishing, but also for sewing the glove back together again.

		This is what the glove looks like with most of the stitching removed so that it will lie flat. While you can certainly take the glove apart completely, I found it sufficient to remove the stitching from the thumb portion of the glove, and then to remove the stitching from the outter perimeter of the glove.

		This is how the glove looks after being embellished. When stitching the glove back together, I used hand stitches with matching thread. I stitched the thumb section first. Depending on the fabric of your glove, you may be able to match the needle marks from the original stitching to assist you in getting the pieces sewn together accurately. NOTE: If you pin and/or baste the fingers of the glove from the "crotch" up toward the tip of the fingers, it will be easier to ease the fullness over the top of each finger. In other words, this particular glove was made with the top of the glove cut larger than the bottom (palm) of the glove. This results in the top of the finger being eased into the bottom (palm) side of each finger. Pinning and/or basting up the side of each finger helps to ease the tips of the fingers.

		Pictured are the embellished and re-sewn bottom (palm) and top of the glove.

		Pictured is the stuffed glove and the "back" of the thumb that is not visible in the other pictures. The back of the thumb is embellished with a small Hollyhock to match the larger Hollyhock on the front of the thumb. You may have to stand on your head to see this.... I stuffed this glove pincushion with lavender buds. This glove pincushion makes a nice gift for your gardening friends, even if they use it as a paperweight or decoration for their desk. It can be patted to release the scent of the lavendar, which has a very calming effect. NOTE: When stuffing pincushions, be aware that polyester batting wicks moisture, and over time will cause pins and needles to rust. I use organic herbs or cotton or wool batting for my pincushions. Another choice can be unraveled wool sweaters, and even wool clothing that has been cut into strips.

		And here is the back of that little thumb.