Glove Patches

Here's the updated tutorial for the Ekaterin gloves. These are more Cordelia-esque I suppose. The truly Vorkosigan ones would be brown with a maple leaf patch, embroidered with silver.

Tip: You can find old leather gloves in charity shops. Check the condition of the inside lining. The gloves can be washed gently in warm soapy water but make sure to get all the soap out and turn inside out to allow the lining to dry. When almost dry reshape the gloves by wearing them. When they are completely dry the leather will be stiff but can be made soft again by rubbing some kind of moisturiser oil (such a baby oil or bio oil) into it.

You need:
One pair cloth lined leather gloves
Small sharp scissors
Pencil
Paper
Embroidery thread
Fabric scraps
Needle
Craft glue

1) Draw and cut out a template on paper for the shape of the patch. A fairly simple shape with no sharp angles will be easier to embroider around.

2) Draw around your template onto the back of each glove. It may be neccessary to flip the template over so that the finished gloves are mirror images of each other. I found the midpoint along the base of the glove and matched this up with the pointed base of the heart to get them centered on the Ekaterin gloves.

3) Carefully snip a hole in the centre of the shape you have just drawn without cutting into the lining. This will allow you to manouver the scissors to cut out the shape. For leather gloves without linings please see the notes at the end.

4) Cut a scrap of fabric slightly bigger than the hole in the glove. Insert this on top of the lining so it shows through the shape you have cut. Once sure it fits without crumpling from excess fabric, remove.

5) Carefully apply a little craft glue around the edges of the shape where it faces the lining. Insert the fabric scrap inside the hole again and press down so that the fabric surface is smooth and the edges of the shape are glued down to the fabric. It does not matter if the glue is not secure right up to the edges as this is just to hold the patches in place until further stitching. Do not pin all the layers together with pins because they make small holes in the leather which cannot be fixed.

6) Once the glue is dry blanket stitch around the edge of the shape. Allow the stitches to catch the lining of the glove as this will sew all 3 layers together and secure them.

7) Repeat for other glove.




Notes: For gloves without linings cutting a hole in the glove will make them considerably colder as they do not have the benefit of a lining. Alternatives:
1) Applique straight onto the glove surface. Advantage of retaining leather but disadvantage of hand stitching on leather as well as achieving a tidier edge. However the edges of the shape can still be blanket stitched.
2) Cutting a hole in the gloves but inserting extra layers of fabric, perhaps quilted, behind the top fabric layer.