Potholders are a quick project to sew up. Mine is based off a set that our daughter bought for us 14 years ago at a craft bazaar. We loved these potholders as they were the right size for us to use when cooking.
When sewing this project, I press my seams open. You can press your seams to one side if you wish. There are no sewing police to say which way is right.
What You Need
6" square of the main fabric
7.5" square of backing fabric
27" of contrasting fabric 1.25" wide (2 pieces 6" long and 2 pieces 7.5" long)
7.5" square of Insulbrite
I am making 2 potholders and have 2 pieces by the width of the fabric of the contrasting fabric.
Procedure
Shorten stitch length. My machine regular length is 2.4 and I shorten it to 1.8.
Cut 2 pieces of the contrasting fabric 6" long and sew to the sides of the 6" square a 1/4" seam allowance. Back stitch at both ends.
Press the seams open for a flat finish. I press them open first with my pointer finger.
And then press with the iron for a very flat seam. You have no ridges on the right side.
Cut 2 pieces of the contrasting fabric 7.5" long and do the top and bottom seams.
Press the seams open for a flat finish. Or to the side if you wish. If pressing to the side, press towards the narrow strips.
On the bottom of the potholder (I used a directional print), stitch (long stitch length) 1/4" for 3" in the center. Do the same on the backing.
Layer the three pieces in this order:
Insulbrite (bottom)
Backing piece right side up (middle)
Top right side down (top)
And the back to show that I cut the backing and insulbrite 1/4" too small.
Sew 1/4" all the way around starting at the bottom and leaving the 3" section open for turning.
Cut corners diagonally to reduce bulk.
Turn right side out and push the corners out as square as you can.
I like to roll the edges and pin for nice finish. Turn under the opening 1/4" using the stitching line you made as a guide.
Press well.
Hand stitch the opening closed using a ladder stitch.
Top stitch in the center of the contrasting fabric and 1/4 - 3/8" from the seam allowance on the main fabric. I use a longer stitch. You can back stitch but I tend to pull the thread up to the top or bottom, knot and bury it into the insulbrite using a hand sewing needle. Quilters use this method when quilting.
Give a quick press and you're done. I don't add a loop to hang up as we tend to keep ours on the counter or in a drawer.
Have fun making these quick, easy and cute potholders.
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