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How to Sew Potholders

Potholders, or hot pads, are useful for protecting your table or counter from hot pots or dishes, and for protecting your hands. You may want to sew your own potholders if you want to use a particular color or style of fabric, or if you want to make special potholders for a holiday or occasion. If you make the potholders from cotton, you’ll want to add a layer of fairly thin batting or polar fleece to make the pot holder thicker and more protective. If you use pre-quilted fabric that already includes a batting backing, you can skip the lining. For most fabrics, 1/4 yard will be enough to make two potholders.

Things You'll Need

1/4 yard fabric
1 yard double-fold bias tape
Matching thread
Batting or polar fleece
Measuring tape
Scissors
Straight pins
Sewing machine

Instructions

Sew a Potholder
- 1
  Cut two 8-inch-squares of fabric and one 8-inch-square of batting or polar fleece. Round off the corners of the squares (optional).
- 2
  Lay one square of fabric wrong side up, and place the batting or polar fleece on top of it. Place the other square of fabric right side up on top of the lining, making a fabric sandwich with the lining in the middle.
- 3
  Pin the layers together.
- 4
  Start in the middle of one side the potholder, and wrap the bias tape around the potholder, with the fold of the bias tape covering the edges of the fabric. One layer of the double-fold bias tape should be on the back of the potholder, and the other layer should be on the front.
- 5
  Cut off the end of the bias tape, leaving about 4 inches extra. Pin the bias tape to the potholder, making sure to catch the both front and back of the bias tape in the pins.
- 6
  Sew the bias tape to the potholder using matching thread, close to the inner edge of the bias tape. Make sure to catch both the front and back of the bias tape in the seam.
- 7
  Form the extra bias tape into a loop. Tuck the end of the bias tape under and pin it to the pot holder. Stitch the end of the loop in place.

Sewing