Wednesday 30 October 2013

Arm Protectors...


Protect your arms while working in the garden ~ Threading My Way

Mr TMW asked if I would make him something to protect his arms, while he's clearing lantana from our block of land. He wears a long sleeved shirt, but the lantana still causes cuts and scratches. Here's how I quickly made him some arm protectors. They took just 5 minutes.

  • Measure the circumference of the arm just below the elbow and add 3" to that measurement.
  • Measure from elbow to wrist and add a couple of inches for hems.
  • With right sides together sew side seam and neaten.
  • Hem one end.
  • Hem the second end, leaving a gap of 1" - 2".
  • Thread the elastic through and close the gap



Initially Mr TMW wanted elastic at the top, but when he tried them on, he turned them up the other way with the elastic at the wrist. Even without any elastic at the top, they don't fall down, probably because they're made with thick cotton fabric (duck cloth, I think) and sleeves are worn underneath. You could easily add elastic at the top as well.


And here are the arm protectors in action, in amongst the lantana. With the exception of my Peg Bag, this is the quickest project I've made.


Lantana is native to Central and South America. It was brought to Australia as an ornamental garden plant, but is now a noxious weed in our country. When we bought our land, the whole block was covered in it. There's still a way to go, but the end is in sight.


Mr TMW is not quite as enthusiastic about gardening as I am. For me, it's a hobby I'm passionate about and I therefore have a tendency to take over... or so I'm told... LOL!!! The gully project is Mr TMW's baby.


I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves. I'll have to be content with enjoying the views when I'm down in that part of the garden. Not bad, are they....


Arm protectors are not high fashion, nor are they particularly exciting, but it's not often I get to sew for a guy. I was more than happy to take a break from my current project to whip these up.

... Pam

14 comments:

  1. What a fantastic. idea. Great Christmas present for a gardener. You could always make those little boot hang over thingos too ( <-- technical term !!)

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  2. Gardening is really not my thing, so I admire people who spend hours making their gardens/backyards/blocks of land nice and neat and beautiful. I am sure Mr TMW's arms are well protected now :) The view is lovely Pam :)

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  3. This is a great project! I love to gardening and my husband too, this will be a nice gift for him! Here in Canada we are in autumn, but this is a project I'll have in mind for next year. Thank you for the idea:)
    Marisa from http://passionetcouture.blogspot.ca/

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  4. Lantana always makes me itchy and speaking of lantana, I have 2 bushes in our front flower beds that need to be trimmed back.;) I like that the arm protectors can be pulled on for jobs that require extra protection but then pulled right back off when you're done so that you stay cool.

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  5. absolutely ingenious! I can't believe the size of your garden

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  6. A famous idea... and very usefull.
    Greetings from Germany :-)

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  7. A great idea :)
    Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays ...

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  8. Awesome! I could definitely use some of these! We only have a small apartment garden, but I always got scratches all over my forearms!

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  9. Very late to the party, but I want to thank you for this idea and perfect tutorial--exactly what I am looking for--effective, easy, and almost free! - Carol in Missouri

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    1. Thanks, Carol. Almost two years later those arm protectors are still going strong.

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  10. Great Idea! The Lantana is here in Florida,too, and was brought in in shipments of Guano, (bird droppings) that was used for fertilizer. Will be making some to wear myself. Thanks again.
    Dale Sereno

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    1. Thanks, Dale. Shouldn't take you long to make a pair.

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