something to make :: pot holders

last week i carved out a little time for a sewing project.  the original inspiration came from a pattern found in amanda soule’s book handmade home .  i made this pair of pot holders a couple years ago and love, love, love the size and shape.  i reach for these every time.

you can tell these are well-loved, can’t you?

this time around, i wanted a thicker center batting and a slightly different edge.  i have a stack of old, thick cloth diapers that need repurposing…perfect for the job.  and instead of the double-fold bias tape, i planned to leave a raw edge.

you can use whatever fabric you like for the covering; i like a heavier weight cotton.  since i planned to leave a raw edge – but didn’t want to see a lot of fraying – i used pinking shears to cut the fabric and the batting {in this case, cloth diapers}.

cut your batting material {old, thick cloth diapers; old, thick towels; pieces of old quilts; or newly purchased batting} to the size you desire.  my hot pads are 6″ in diameter.  you can make a circular template or you can choose an appropriately-sized bowl from your kitchen cupboard and trace around its rim.  it doesn’t have to be perfect…really.

then cut the cloth you’re going to use for the outside of your pot holders.  you might want to cut your cloth covering just a tad bit bigger {say 1/2″} than your center batting to give you a little wiggle room when sewing.  even with my pieces pinned together, the cloth shifted a bit as i did my spiral stitching.

you can see here that the edge of the cloth covering didn’t match up with the edge of the center batting.  no worries, since i can still use this.  but for the next pair that i made, i was careful to cut my outer cloth a wee bit bigger.

once the pieces are cut, lay the first cloth piece wrong side up…then place the center batting on top of that…lastly, place the second cloth piece right side up.  {when you hold this, right sides of fabric will be facing out, top and bottom}.  use a few pins to secure the three layers and begin stitching the layers together.

i started in the center of the circle and slowly stitched my way out to the edge with a spiraling pattern.  really, you can make whatever kind of pattern with your stitches that you like.  just make sure the three layers are joined securely together.

whatever stitching pattern you choose, work slowly as it’s easy for the layers to buckle and shift {see my “whoops” image above}.  you can feel the edge of the center batting as you work your way closer to the edge of the pot holder; you’ll know where to end your stitches.  then simply cut off any excess fabric.

and, voila, fabulous pot holders…

i will definitely be making more of these.  i sent one of the above pairs off as a birthday present.  the other pair?   i gifted to myself…love them.

sending a little love your way, m

p.s. if you don’t have a sewing machine, these could easily be stitched by hand.