If you love to sew and quilt like I do, you end up with a bunch of scraps! Well, I know what you can do with all those scraps, make some pot holders! Pot holders are a great way to use up fabric scraps and cotton batting scraps. It’s a great weekend project. They make great house warming gifts or hostess gifts too.
I like to make my pot holders with a layer of Insula-bright (insulated batting that makes them heat resistant) and a layer of cotton batting (for extra protection and to absorb any moisture). When you make pot holders you want to make sure all of your supplies (thread, fabric, and batting) are 100% Cotton. If you use polyester fabric, and they catch fire, the fabric would melt. If cotton fabric catches fire it will just smolder.
Supplies needed:
1 – 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch quilt block made of Cotton Fabric
(Strip Block shown below: 4 – 2 1/2 x 9 inch strips)
1 – 10 x 10 inch piece of Cotton batting
1 – 10 x 10 inch piece of Insula-bright (Insulated Batting)
1 – 10 x 10 inch piece of Cotton Fabric
1 – 3 inch x width of fabric (typically 42 inches)
(if you prefer a thinner binding, use a 2 1/2 inch strip)
First you will need to make your 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch quilt block (unfinished size). So you can pick your favorite 8 inch finished quilt block or you can use this super easy Strip block.
Strip Block
Take your 4 – 2 1/2 x 9 inch strips. With right sides of fabric facing each other, sew your strips together to for a block. Press your seams to one side. Then trim your block to measure 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches.
Now it’s time to make our Pot Holder!
We will now make our mini quilt sandwich. First lay down your 10 x 10 inch backing fabric down wrong side face up.
Then place your 10 x 10 inch piece of Insula-bright down
Then place your 10 x 10 inch piece of Cotton Batting down
Then place your 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch quilt block on top. Pin in place.
Quilt all four layers together. I like to quilt 1/4 inch from the seams
Trim down to 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches. Sometimes it will end up slightly smaller about 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches due to quilting the puffy layers.
Now you will take your 3 inch x width of fabric strip (about 42 inches). I prefer a large binding on my pot holder. If you want a thinner binding, you can use a 2 1/2 inch wide strip. On one end fold in about 1 inch. Press wrong sides facing each other. Then fold fabric in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and press flat.
Match up raw sides of the binding to the raw sides of the front of the pot holder. Take the binding end with the folded over edge, place it on the center of one of the sides. Start sewing your binding on to the front of the pot holder about 1 inch in, use a 3/8 inch seam allowance. Stop when you are 3/8 inch from the corner, backstitch. If your block has points, you may want to use a 1/4 inch seam allowance, so you don’t cut off your points.
Fold your binding up, lining up with the side of your pot holder, then fold it down to line up with the side of your quilt.
Start sewing 3/8 inch from the edge. When you have reached the beginning point, trim to correct length, tuck the end of the binding under the beginning of the binding, sew down.
Fold over binding and hand sew to the back or machine sew to the back. I prefer hand sewing my binding, just because I haven’t mastered machine sewing it. Also, it’s nice to have some hand sewing when I’m watching shows.
Yay you have a pretty new pot holder for yourself or a nice gift for a friend! I’d love to see the pot holder you make! Use this hashtag on Instagram: #hccpotholder
Happy Sewing!!
Andrea
