when sewing boxing style mittens, the back is larger than the palm. To gather them evenly, they are handsewn with single stitches at first.
One stitch at 12 o'clock, one at 4 o'clock, one at 8 o'clock. Then split the difference...
so next at 2 and 10 o'clock, then continue single stitches at the biggest gaps.
This makes the gathers even, but again, no machine works that way, except the human hands.