Sew a cute, custom-made pot holder for your kitchen
Sew a custom pot holder to complement your cottage kitchen.
For those of us who craft,
supplies tend to build up in every corner of the craft room—or house. If you’re looking to put your fabric stash to good use, The Spoonflower Quick-Sew Project Book by Anda Corrie will give you plenty of inspiration and instruction. “While prints are fun to collect, it’s not fun to see them gathering dust in the corner,” says Allison Sloan Polish, president of Spoonflower. The company is a source of beautiful fabrics by makers in the community, and a tool you can use to create custom fabrics of your own.
Whether you’re looking for new fabrics or pulling out your leftover scraps, here’s a round pot holder to update your kitchen supplies in a fun way.
Note: A 54-inch (137-cm) wide yard yields two round pocket potholders—just double the other materials.
What You’ll Need:
• Compass to create a 9-inch (23-cm) circle
• 1 fat quarter of cotton twill fabric (used here: Basic Cotton in
Bouillabaisse Plates, Bouillabaisse, and Bouillabaisse Dots by zesti)
• 9-inch (23-cm) square of fusible cotton quilt batting
• 9-inch (23-cm) square of Insul-Bright basting spray
• Basic sewing supplies
• ½-inch (30.5-cm) wide masking tape or washi tape
• Thread that matches the dominant color of your fabric
• 1 yard of coordinating ½-inch (1.3-cm) or 1-inch (2.5-cm)
double-fold bias binding
• Thread that matches your binding
• 5 inches (13 cm) of ribbon for a loop to hang
BY VICTORIA VAN VLEAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZOË NOBLE
What You’ll Do:
1. Using a compass, draw a 9-inch (23-cm) circle on paper. Cut out.
2. Using this pattern, cut out three 9-inch (23-cm) circles of fabric. If you have more than a fat quarter on hand, try a contrasting fabric for the pocket (one circle) or reverse side of the potholder.
3. Cut a 9-inch (23-cm) circle of the fusible batting and 9-inch (23-cm) circle of Insul-Bright. Sandwich the batting between the wrong sides of one circle of fabric and the circle of Insul-Bright, and press until it adheres. Note, the batting won’t stick to the Insul-Bright, but it will adhere to your iron or ironing surface. So use the Insul-Bright as a barrier.
4. Remove Insul-Bright, spray basting adhesive onto the cotton batting, and then place the Insul-Bright back on top of it. Spray the wrong side of your second fabric square with spray adhesive, and place it face up on the Insul-Bright. Smooth it down with your hands until everything is stuck together.
5. Using the ruler to guide you, tape diagonally in one direction across the circle at 1.5-inch (4cm) intervals. Line up the edge of your sewing machine’s presser foot with one consistent side of the tape, and straight stitch along one side of each diagonal. A 3-mm stitch length is fine. Use a thread color that matches the background of your fabric design if you want the stitching to be less visible. Remove the tape.
6. Tape new lines perpendicular to the lines you‘ve just stitched. Repeat, sewing along one side of the tape guides. Remove the tape.
7. Unfold your bias binding and (right side down against fabric) line up the raw edge of the bias binding with the raw edge of the quilted circle. Backstitch and then straight stitch in the fold of the binding. Tuck a loop of ribbon in where you want your potholder to hang.
8. Fold your circle pattern in half, and use it to cut out a half-circle of batting. With the right side out, fold the pocket fabric in half and tuck the batting inside it like a taco. Press. Sew an 8-inch (20-cm) length of bias binding along the straight side of the folded pocket.
9. Flip the project over, and line up the pocket piece’s raw edges to the circle’s raw edges directly opposite the loop of ribbon. Refold the bias binding around the raw edges including the pocket piece, and pin. Topstitch around the entire circle, being very careful the pocket sides don’t slip out as you stitch around them.