Warmth for Body and Soul

Finding a suitable gift or something that keeps them occupied for someone
with dementia is not easy. Especially in the cold season of the year, older people whose mobility is restricted suffer from cold hands. A “Twiddle-muff” can fulfill several functions at the same time: it warms and activates. It is especially nice when you can go into the personal preferences of the person who is to receive the sewn object when making the Twiddle-muff. In addition to the basic color, the objects attached to it can provide variety and joy and, as a therapeutic purpose, prevent people from constantly pulling on clothing or even injuring their skin.

The twiddle-muff is made from two parts. Soft and stretchy fabrics are
suitable for both. Since only little material is required, leftovers from sewing work are often sufficient. Garments made from warming materials, that are no longer worn, can also be used. The material for the inner part should be particularly pleasant to touch. I chose a scarf that has not been worn in the family for years. As a cover I will use leftovers from three different fleece fabrics. This means that existing materials can be easily be upcycled, as will later also be the case with the ‘twiddly’ elements.

You can also cut off a sleeve from a wool sweater that is no longer worn
and use it as an inner part.

Instead of fabric scissors, you can also use a rotary cutter from
the patchwork supplies. To sew the pieces of fabric together, you need pins to temporarily fix the pieces of fabric, sewing thread and a sewing machine or sewing needles. You need thicker needles, strong threads, preferably made of cotton, and a small pair of scissors to attach the parts for ‘twiddling’.

Oh, I almost forgot: Mr. Swimmy, who always helps me to find the right
measurements!

For example, to hide unsightly seams when upcycling materials, you can sew
on colored ribbons or lace.

There are no limits to your imagination, but you should make sure not to
use any sharp-edged or pointed objects to avoid a possible risk of injury. All family members, especially children, can actively participate in the selection and e.g. make pompoms or crochet small elements. You can also detach pockets, toggle fasteners, etc. from clothing that is no longer worn and reuse them here.

Of course, you can also look in your tool box - a wooden ring, key, nuts or
wing screws are great elements to feel. Or for flower lovers, you can use felt, crochet or applique flowers. When you are crocheting elements, leave the beginning and end threads hanging for later fastening. You can also attach textile elements with Velcro so that they can be taken off and changed if necessary.

With woven fabrics, it is good to pay attention to the grain of the thread
before you cut - it is best to cut parallel or perpendicular to the fabric structures. This does not apply to fleece fabrics. First take the fabric for the inner part and mark with a pin where you need to cut. You want to create a rectangle measuring 46 x 32 cm (18 inches x 12.5 inches). The dimensions are chosen so that the seam allowance is already included.

A rectangle should also be created for the outer part, which has to be cut
a little larger: 48 x 34 cm (19 inches x 13.5 inches). I used a cutting mat and rotary cutter here, but you can also use scissors and a tape measure - think of Mr. Swimmy! Since I am using leftover fleece, I cut three pieces that I sew together to achieve the required dimension for the rectangle of the outer piece. You can of course use more or less strips, depending on your materials.

GOOD NEWS: If you have cut only one piece for the outer part, you can skip steps 10 and 12!

I fixed the three individual strips of fleece fabric with pins to close the
seams. Important: the pins are at right angles to the seam so that the sewing machine needle slides over them.

Fold the rectangle for the inner part lengthways in the middle. Important:
the right, meaning the "beautiful" side of the fabric must be on the inside. Then fix the open edges with pins.

Use the sewing machine or hand stitches to join the three parts of the
outer part to form a rectangle, remove all pins; either while sewing, or once done with sewing.

Image 12a: Here you can see what the seams look like at the front (smooth
side) and at the back (with seam allowances).

As shown in the picture of step 11, sew the prepared inner part together. Since I use a highly stretchable knit fabric, I sewed the seam with a stretch stitch close to the edge, so that both the seam and the outer edges were finished in one operation, i.e. they are protected from fraying.

The longitudinal seam closed in this way is shown here: Image 13.

In order to conceal the resulting longitudinal seams or simply to decorate
the outer part, I stitch on a braid and a colorful band. The braid remains free on one side, the band is stitched on both sides.

Fold the outer part lengthways in the middle so that the right side
("beautiful" side with border and lace decoration) is on the inside. Then fix the two layers again with pins and then sew the long edge with lock stitches as with the inner part. Then remove all pins!

Turn the outer part so that the seam is on the inside. Turn the inner part
so that the seam is on the outside. Now pull the inner part over the outer part - attention, that can be a bit tight because the inner part is a bit narrower. Now put the parts on top of each other at one end so that both seams meet. Then sew once all around - important: the opening requires that you sew slowly and possibly remove the accessory compartment of the sewing machine so that the circular sewing is easier.

After sewing, remove the pins and pull the inner part off the outer part.
You have now sewn both parts together and the seams of one opening are on the inside. Then pull the inner part into the outer part.

At the opening that is still open,
fold the edges of the inner and outer parts about a centimeter (1/2 inch) inwards and fix them with pins. Now connect the layers of fabric with small stitches as invisibly as possible with hand stitches.

Now the muff is finished. To make the openings even more pleasant
for the user, I topstitched the edges with a decorative stitch. And now comes what Mr. Swimmy and I are looking forward to: attach the decorative elements for the 'twiddle' part. Get your collection ready and let your imagination run wild!

Here follows a list of the parts used and their materials (from left to
right). I made sure that as many different haptic incentives as possible were offered.

• Silk bow

• Cotton cord with ceramic and wooden beads (movable)

• Cotton ribbon with a turned wooden ring and belt buckle made of horn (movable)

• Crocheted flower made of cotton with a plastic button in the center

• Crocheted flower made of wool

• Braided cotton ribbon with wooden bead

• Buttons made of metal, deer horn, leather and mother-of-pearl

• Removable application (butterfly) with Velcro

It is best to think about the preferences, interests or occupation of the person for whom you are making the Twiddle-muff. In this way you achieve that with the sewn-on occupational elements, hopefully positive emotions or, in the best case, nice memories are created in the recipient. Here is my example of what I would prepare as ideas for one of my friends as a choice of material: music (bells), animals (hedgehogs, butterflies, ladybugs), garden (various flowers), handicrafts (wooden thread spool, patchwork element), Christmas (star from Fabric), button collection (buttons in rainbow colors),….

Enjoy making a 'twiddle-muff' for a person with dementia and experience the difference it makes to their lives!

Congrats, this is the first instructable of my sister; I had the pleasure to translate and upload. If I’m ever going into dementia, please put these elements on my twiddle-muff: