Welcome back! Now that you’ve digitized your family heirloom fabric and ordered your fabric, it’s time to get sewing. Follow along with Meg from MegMade Sewing to see how easy it is to make three pot holders and an apron!
Meg: Once your order arrives and you’ve had a chance to ooh and aah over your custom printed fabric, you can sew up your apron and pot holders. I used this tutorial from Purl Soho for the apron (you can also find a few free apron patterns on Spoonflower).
And here’s how to make the pot holders:
Pot Holder Supplies
- Your custom pot holder Linen Cotton Canvas panel made using Fill-A-Yard®
- You can find the complete how-to here!
- One fat quarter of coordinating fabric – I used Small Blooms Crimson by Cecilia Mok in Spoonflower’s Petal Signature Cotton
- Cotton batting
- Insul-Bright insulated batting
- Coordinating thread
1. Cut out Your Fabric
Cut out the front and back pot holder pieces from your Fill-A-Yard pot holder panel. Then cut out your cotton batting and Insul-Bright pieces. The Insul-Bright protects your hands from being burned by the hot item, and the cotton batting absorbs condensation. They should be the same dimensions as the outer pieces and you’ll need one of each for each pot holder. Layer your pieces in this order: back (wrong side up), Insul-Bright, cotton batting, front (right side up).
If you’d like rounded corners go ahead and cut those now by tracing a curved edge (I’m using a cup) with disappearing ink. Leave one corner at the top squared for the hanging loop. I did them as a stack but you can also round your corners on each piece separately. Baste* your layers together and then quilt them. I did a series of diagonal lines but you can quilt them as simply or detailed as you’d like.
*In sewing, to baste is to make quick, temporary stitching intended to be removed. To baste your fabric, set your machine stitch length to the longest length and do not backstitch.
2. Make the Bias Tape Binding
Next, prepare your bias tape binding. Cut 1 ¾” strips from your fat quarter. Sew the ends together to create one long strip and press into double folded bias tape using your preferred method. In a rush? You can also buy pre-made bias tape at your local fabric store!
3. Attach the Binding to Your Pot Holder
I like to sew it first to the back so I can complete the binding from the front for a nicer finish, but feel free to proceed however you’d like. Begin sewing the bias binding at the squared corner on the back of the pot holder, starting your stitching ⅜” in from the side. Sew the binding around with a ⅜” seam allowance, being careful not to stretch the bias binding at the rounded corners. When you come around to where you started, fold the beginning binding out of the way and finish attaching the end binding. Leave a few inches to create the hanging loop.
Trim the seam allowance and fold the binding to the right side, just barely overlapping the stitch lines. Use plenty of pins or wonder clips to hold your binding in place for a neat finish. The binding along the top will be sandwiched in between the binding along the left side. Edge stitch the bias binding in place and continue stitching the excess together.
4. Create the Hanging Loop
Determine how large of a hanging loop you’d like. Double this length, add ⅜”, and cut to this total length. Fold over the excess tail by ⅜” and pin to the back of the potholder to create the hanging loop. Secure to the potholder by stitching a triangle through all layers of binding.
5. Press the Binding
Give the binding a press and you’re all done! The pot holders will be crinkly at first but that will go away with use. I can also confirm, after holding a loaf of bread straight out of the oven for a few minutes, that they in fact do a superb job at insulating the heat and keeping your hands comfortable.
The holidays are fast approaching and these custom heirloom projects are a unique handmade gift option that are sure to wow your family. If you turn your family keepsakes into special handmade gifts I’d love to see them! Just tag your makes with #spoonflower and #megmadesewing. Happy sewing!
If you can’t get enough of Meg’s pot holders and apron, wait until you see her family heirloom denim jacket featuring Dogwood Denim™! Read all about the process over at Meg’s blog, MegMade Sewing.
About the Guest Author
Meg is the maker & mama behind MEGMADE Sewing. Having been sewing since childhood, Meg now creates handmades as a way to stay connected to who she is while knee-deep in motherhood. Never in one place for too long, she and her family of five currently call the Washington DC area home. For more of her latest makes (and love of pink!) follow Meg on Instagram.
