DIY: How to Make Potholder

Square potholders are the simplest to make.

While there are many potholders available in any department store or specialty kitchen store, it isn't always easy to find a potholder you like or that matches your kitchen color scheme. Luckily, you can make your own potholders for a quarter of the price of purchasing one and be sure the fabric will match your décor. Even a beginner to the sewing machine should be able to make a potholder in less than 30 minutes.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton fabric
• Cotton batting
• Rotary cutter, mat, and ruler, or scissors
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Coordinating thread
• Hand sewing needle

Instructions

1. Cut two pieces of cotton fabric and two pieces of cotton batting into 7-inch squares. Layer your two pieces of fabric with the right sides facing in. Align the edges to make sure everything is even.

2. Place your two batting pieces over the two fabrics and adjust the edges as needed. Pin around the edges of the four layers to hold them in place. Sew a one-quarter-inch seam around the entire potholder, leaving a four inch wide open space along one side.

3. Hold the opening of the potholder facing you and slip your thumbs between the two layers of the fabric. Turn the potholder right side out through the open area between the fabrics, making sure the two fabrics end up on the outside and the batting is caught in the middle.

4. Use your hands to make the potholder and its edges as flat as possible. Tuck in the edges of the fabric along the opening to make it look like the sewn areas. Sew the opening closed by hand.

5. Put a finishing seam on the potholder by sewing a ¼-inch or 3/8-inch seam around the entire potholder. This will keep the layers from shifting and the fabric from unraveling.

Tips & Warnings

• Be creative in making your potholder by adding appliqué, decorative stitches, or piece quilt block patterns to be used as your 7-inch fabric squares.

References

• "Beautiful Home On a Budget"; Emilie Barnes & Yoli Brogger; 1998