I have a new tutorial for you for some lovely and simple pot holders! I made these ones as a kitchen tea gift for a gorgeous friend of mine for is getting married soon. I am so excited for her! But back to the pot holders, as I mentioned already, this design is really simple making them a great project for beginners. Making your own pot holders is also a nice way to use up small pieces of pretty fabric. Their finished size is approximately 20 cm (8″) by 20 cm (8″).
To make these pot holders you will need:
- 2 squares of cotton or wool fabric measuring 20 cm (8″) by 20 cm (8″) for the back of the pot holders. It’s very important that you don’t use any synthetic materials such as nylon, acetate or polyester for pot holders. They may melt and cause nasty burns when they come into contact with high temperatures.
- 2 rectangles of cotton or wool fabric measuring 20 cm (8″) by 14 cm (5 1/2″)
- 2 rectangles of contrast cotton or wool fabric measuring 20 cm (8″) by 8 cm (3 1/4″)
- 6 squares of cotton or wool batting measuring 20 cm (8″) by 20 cm (8″). You need 3 layers for each pot holder.
- Approximately 2 metres of 25 mm (1″) wide bias binding. That is bias tape that will give a bound edge of 12 mm (1/2″) wide.
- Pins, needles, thread and general sewing requirements.
Start by joining two of different sized rectangles together along the long edge, as shown. Sew with 1 cm (3/8″) seam allowance and iron the seam flat. Repeat with the other two rectangles.
Place one of the squares of fabric with the right side of the fabric facing down on your work surface. Place 3 layers of batting on top of it and then place the front of the pot holder on top. Pin around the edges to hold the layers together.
Sew along the seam of the rectangles through all the layers. Measure a line 2.5 cm (1″) away from this row of stitching and mark with pins. Sew along the line you have pinned, through all layers. Continue sewing rows 2.5 cm (1″) apart until the entire pot holder is quilted. Also sew a row of stitching very close to the edge to stop the layers flapping about at the sides.
Now it’s time to attach the binding. Starting at a corner, unfold one edge of the bias tape and line up the raw edge with the edge of the pot holder. Pin along the fold. Sew along the fold until you reach about 12 mm (1/2″) from the edge. Stop and back tack here.
Ease the tape around the corner so the raw edge of the tape follows the edge of the pot holder. This will create a fold of excess fabric where you finished stitching. Hold the fold of fabric out of the way and place a pin through the layers exactly where the previous row of stitching finished. Continue pinning in the fold, lining up the raw edges all the way along.
Sew in the fold, again stopping 12 mm (1/2″) from the edge. Repeat the same process you did for the first corner until you’ve sewn around three corners and are almost back to where you started. On the final edge, sew up to, but not over the tape at the start.
Fold the tape over the raw edges and pin the folded edge so it just covers the stitching line. Pin all the way along the first side. When you get to the corner, fold the tape as indicated in the photos to create a mitred corner and continue pinning along the next side. Keep pinning all the way around, but stop just short of where you started.
Thread a hand sewing needle with thread to match the binding and sew the folded edge of the binding to the potholder using very tiny, evenly spaced stitches.
Once you’ve sewn the first bit, you can finish folding and pinning the tail of tape over the starting point. Continue sewing the edge of the tape down all the way around. When you get to the end, continue sewing the folded edges of the tape together creating a neat tail of tape. Once this reaches approximately 6-7 cm (2.5″) long, cut off the excess, fold the tail over to make a loop, folding up 6 mm (1/4″) of the raw edge. Hand stitch this end down securely so there are no exposed raw edges.
Cut the thread, repeat this whole process with your other pot holder and then you are finished! The hand stitching may take a while so do it while watching the telly or while have a cup of tea and a chat with a friend.
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Great little tutorial… I need some new pot holders… I burn my old ones
Can’t wait to try these. Will “pin it” on my board for later.
Thank you for the excellent instructions and pictures!!