Leather gloves can be expensive, but if you're good at sewing, you can save a little money by making your own. By drawing your own pattern, you can even make sure your new glove is sewn to fit your hand.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Making Patterns
Step 1. Trace the shape of your hand on the paper
Place your non-dominant hand on the paper, fingers close together. Your thumb should point out at its natural angle. Draw the entire shape of your hand, starting from one side of the wrist to the other.
- Your hand should be in the center of the paper with your index finger and thumb pointing toward the center.
- Once you've drawn the outer shape of your hand, you should also draw a circle at the base of each finger. To create one, open each pair of fingers (pair by pair) and draw a small circle between them, with the center point at the base of the finger.
- Slip the ruler between your fingers. Draw a straight line from the circle to the tops of your lines.
- Set the ruler aside and make sure all the lines are parallel to each other.
- Add 5 cm long to each side of the pattern. Sketch a line that extends slightly near your wrist along the outside of your hand, or the side opposite your thumb.
- You now have an accurate outline of your hand. However, do not cut this pattern just yet.
Step 2. Create the glove pattern
Fold the paper in half along the outline of your index finger. Cut along the outline, cutting two layers at a time and keeping the folds together.
- Note that the thumb portion of the outline of your pattern will disappear at this stage.
- Once you've cut out the outline, cut out the finger gaps you drew earlier. The gaps in the front of your pattern should be 6 mm shorter than the corresponding gaps along the back of the pattern.
Step 3. Make a thumb hole
Open the glove pattern and mark the location of your thumb joint. You need to draw and cut out an oval for the thumb hole in the center of the glove pattern.
- Mark the base of the thumb, the base of the thumb, and the knuckle of the thumb with dots. Make a fourth point directly opposite the thumb knuckle point.
- The oval line connecting all four points is converging.
- Draw an inverted triangle along the top of this oval. This triangle shape should be the same length as the oval shape.
- Cut the remaining ovals, leaving the tops of the triangles still together.
Step 4. Design the pattern for the thumb
Fold a sheet of paper in half and place the inside of your thumb along the crease. The crease should be parallel to the sides of the index finger and wrist. Draw around the outside of your thumb.
- Once you have finished drawing, unfold the paper and draw the same pattern on the other side of the fold.
- Cut out the thumb pattern and place it near the thumb hole in the glove pattern. The two must match. If not repeat your thumb pattern, adjust the size better to match the thumb hole in the glove pattern.
Step 5. Create a fourchette pattern
The fourchette is the long section that sits between the fingers of your glove.
- Fold a piece of paper and place it between the index and middle fingers of your non-dominant hand. The crease should fall directly over the part of your hand between your fingers.
- Trace around your index finger, adding a bit of length to the top matched by the length of the middle finger.
- Cut the pattern.
- Repeat this process two more times, drawing a fourchette between your middle and ring finger and between your ring finger and little finger.
Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Leather
Step 1. Find the right type of leather
The easiest leather to work with when making gloves is thin leather with an even and smooth fiber texture.
- Leather type "grain leather" has high durability and flexibility, and is made from the outer layer of the inner side of animal skin.
- Thin leather will produce gloves that are more comfortable than thick leather. Thick leather can cause gloves to feel lumpy.
Step 2. Test the leather for the tensile strength
Pull on the leather and watch how it stretches. If the skin retracts immediately after you've pulled it, there's no need to prepare. If it's a little loose or too stretched, you'll need to make it stiffer and adjust the stretch.
Stretchable leather is great, but if you don't take care of it, the gloves will easily loosen and loosen after just a few wears
Step 3. Moisturize and stretch the leather
Wet the leather and stretch it to the maximum point (the fiber can't be stretched any further). Leave it to dry.
Once dry, wet again and stretch the skin in the opposite direction. However, this time stretch just enough, not to the maximum point. Let dry again
Step 4. Cut the parts of the glove
Pin the pattern to the prepared skin and use sharp scissors to cut it, matching the pattern line by line. This means you will need to cut the thumb holes and finger spaces as well.
- Make sure the fiber lines are parallel to the spokes. Leather has a high degree of stretch along the fibers, and you need to take advantage of that stretch to allow the leather to move with your thumb as you bend your fingers.
- Leather doesn't unravel, so you don't need to hem the edges or apply special anti-degradation adhesives.
- Cut each piece twice until you have enough pieces to make two identical gloves. The front and back of the glove are exactly the same shape, so you don't have to reverse the pattern for the other hand.
Part 3 of 3: Sewing Gloves
Step 1. Sew the edges of the thumb
Fold the thumbs in from under the center and sew them together along the tops and edges. Stop at a point slightly before the indentation in the base.
- If you want to make this stitch invisible, make sure that the right sides of each section meet when you sew and turn the right side over when it's stitched together.
- Alternatively, you can keep all the seams on the outside of the glove visible. If you choose that, sew with the outer side of the leather still facing out.
- Hidden or visible stitches are two options that can be used for leather, so this is just your personal preference.
Step 2. Pin the pin and sew the thumb
Insert the base of the open thumb piece of leather into the thumb hole of the main piece. Pin the edge of the thumb to the edge of the hole in the thumb with a pin, then sew around the entire joined edge.
- Make sure the thumb side is facing up when you insert it into the thumb hole.
- The rim of the thumb and the hole must match in a balanced way.
- You can bend the edge of the thumbhole inward so that the front of the holding edge and thumb are facing, or you can pin the needle or sew the front of the edge of the thumb along the back of the edge of the hole. Both are doable, and it's just a personal style choice.
Step 3. Insert the first fourchette between your first fingers
You need to connect it to the palm and back of your glove pattern. Pin the pin to hold it in place, and sew in place.
- Join the fourchette on the sole of your pattern first. Once the part is sewn to the palm side of the glove, attach it to the back of the glove.
- Sew the tip of the index finger and down along the gap on the palm side, then back up to the tip of the middle finger.
- When joining the fourchette with the back of the glove, start at the tip of the middle finger and work your way up to the slit, then work your way back to the tip of the index finger.
Step 4. Repeat this procedure with the other two fourchettes
After the fourchette between the index and middle fingers is stitched, continue with the fourchette between the middle and ring fingers and between the ring and little fingers. The sewing method of the second fourchette is exactly the same as that of the first.
- Continue sewing the fourchette between your middle and ring fingers. Next, sew the fourchette between the ring finger and little finger.
- Work as before, sewing each fourchette on to the palm of your glove first before joining it to the back of the glove.
Step 5. Sew the edges of your glove
If necessary, pin the glove pins so that the outer edges of the two sides meet. Sew both sides of the glove and close the gap that is still around the fingers.
- The part that opens at the end of this step is the wrist. This section should of course be left open.
- If you want the side seams to be invisible, make sure that the front sides of the gloves are facing each other when you finish sewing. Flip the gloves out when finished sewing. If you want the stitches to show, leave the back facing in as you sew.
- When you complete this step, your gloves are done.
Step 6. Repeat with the second glove
Follow the same sewing steps as the rest to make a second glove that is the same as the first.
- Sew together the thumbs, then sew the thumbs into the thumb holes of the glove.
- Sew the four fourchettes in place, starting with the index/middle finger combination first, followed by the middle/ring finger combination, and ending with the ring finger/little finger combination. Remember that the palm of this glove will be the palm of the opponent's first glove.
- Sew along the sides and the distance between the fingers to finish the glove, leaving the wrist part exposed.
Step 7. Try putting on your gloves
Now your gloves are finished and ready to wear.
