How to Make Quilted Potholders

Every kitchen needs potholders. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors. Some are plain while others are part of your kitchen theme. Whatever kind of potholders you use, they all can help to keep you from burning your fingers when pulling things out of the oven. Making your own set of potholders is a fun and simple project that will accent your kitchen, plus they make great house-warming gifts.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Thick batting
• Fabric: Two colors at a yard each
• Thread
• Quilting or sewing needle

Instructions

1. Lay both pieces of material together and cut into eight even squares. You might want to pin together before cutting to keep the materials from sliding apart.

2. Pin these pieces of material in pairs of alternating colors. You should have one color pinned to the other color.

3. Use the sewing machine to sew the eight sets of pairs. Make sure you take the pins out before you sew the material together. If the needle on the machine hits one of the pins, it could break the needle or bend or break the pin.

4. Match one pair with another pair and pin together. You should have four squares in alternating colors. Sew together. Do the same with the other six pairs. Now you will have four pieces of material sewn in patchwork.

5. Take the thick batting and cut two pieces to the size of one of the squares. Place the two squares face to face with the batting on the outside and pin all three together. Sew all three pieces together, leaving a space big enough to pull it all inside-out. Once turned inside-out, sew shut the space. Repeat with the other two pieces of material and the batting.

6. Finish by using the thread and needle to quilt around each of the four squares. You can quilt your new potholders in any way you want. They just need to be quilted to keep all three layers together.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many ways to make quilted potholders. You do not have to make a patchwork design, you can just make potholders with the same color on both sides. You can even add lace or ruffle to the edge if you want to. Make sure that your sewing machine is in good working order before you use it. The last thing you want is for it to mess up right in the middle of a project.

• Be careful when using the scissors.