Back to basics. Pot holders.

We all need pot holders,  they get daggy after a while and fresh new ones make the kitchen look lovely.   They are very easy to sew and make great gifts especially if you know someones colour scheme or likes ie chickens!  😊

There are countless free tutorials on how to make different style pot holders on You Tube etc but this is my most often used method.

I watch for old pure wool blankets in the thrift stores, the ones with a few holes in them that are a few dollars.  These are perfect filling for pot holders.   This time I've had a very thick cot pure wool underlay.  Because it is so thick I have only needed one layer.   Sometimes I used two layers. 

I cut my fabric out to be about 1.5 cm larger around than my insulation layer.  

In this case I made the fabric 11 inches square.

And the insulation... 10 inches square.

I don't want to make small potholders.   I want them to be generous and useful in lots of ways ie to sit something hot on.

With good sides together sew three edges of your fabric using about a 1/4 inch seam.    

Turn the pot holder around to the right sides ...  push out the corners.

Now insert your wool insulation and get it to sit nice and flat with no bumps.  If it will not  sit flat take it out and trim it down a little more.  Once it sits nicely stitch it in place in a few random spots.   I do four corners, about an inch in, just a few stitched in one spot to stop it moving around.  

Turn in your raw edges... pin in a nice straight line and stitch it shut.

Now you should have a square and flat potholder.   Most times I have stitched Ric rack braid around the edge and formed a loop so that it can be hung on a hook or cupboard door.  For years I have saved braids, mostly from the thrift stores.   So I have a huge tin of different colours.   

This time I wanted to do a crochet edge and hook which is also super easy.    I worked a blanket stitch around first with a thick needle and my crochet cotton.   I am guessing this cotton is a two or three ply.   It doesn't really matter... but I would not go to think as it would be too chunky.

I won't cover blanket stitch as there are endless tutorials if you need them online.

I will link to my instructions to get you going on crochet edges...  plus some other ideas to use them.  I saw country gingham kitchen curtains with a crochet bottom... and they looked just so beautiful!

My usual crochet stitch is a single crochet in five spaces in a row,  then five double crochets in one space... and repeat. On corners you need extra stitches, double even, you will see when you get there how to make it sit flat.   If you want more ideas and fancier edges...  Crochet edgings and ideas post.

I crochet a hook in one corner.     So I have different themes and colour schemes going and some for my own kitchen.

As I am making quite a few kitchen themed gifts... some Vanilla Extract, Bay Leaves, dried Parsley,  crochet dish cloth... a pot holder fits right in.   I like to keep a stack of gifts just in case in the present cupboard.  Next week it is going to be my exciting week to haul everything out and see what I have made and collected all year.  It is always more than I thought.  If you always  keep at some sewing/crochet/knitting/handiwork of some kind it really adds up over the year!xxx