My Favorite Sewing Project of 2021, No One Needs to Be Without At Least 4 of These

Easy, quick and cheap, these make great gifts…

I need to do this every few years because these can get worn out pretty quickly. I’ve also made several of these for house warming gifts to go in baskets I assemble to give to people who move into their new homes.

One small thing I noticed in the kitchen is that many of my towels and potholders, which were wedding gifts a few years ago, are pretty worn out. I bought some new towels, but I’ve been planning to sew some new potholders. It’s a really quick project and great for using up scraps!

I know there are lots of other cute potholder tutorials out there, but I chose to sew some simple potholders with a basic square shape, using some brightly colored fabrics. I made more elaborate potholders a few months ago, but I haven’t used them because I didn’t want to ruin them! Makes a lot of sense, right? For something that is going to get dirty and needs to be washed regularly, you need to stick with easy construction and durable fabrics.

It’s a good idea to use fabric that is 100% cotton or linen. Synthetic fabrics, like polyester, can’t handle the heat. Polyester will melt. So, choose some lightweight canvas, denim, or linen and mix in a little quilting cotton for color. Most of you probably have plenty of scraps that you can use for these!

You might also think about making your own bias tape. Bias tape is easy to make.(Just google how to do this.) The bias tape that is most readily available at the craft store is a poly/cotton blend. It doesn’t work very well for potholders!  I know she uses bias tape she got at the fabric store, but I make my own. It works better if it’s cotton.

Thermal batting is also an essential part of a safe potholder. It includes a layer of mylar to protect your hands from the heat. Please do not try to use quilt batting alone without the thermal layer!

Watch how Profession Pincushion makes this potholder in her step by step tutorial.