Make Pot Holders From Scraps
Saturday, January 16, 2010
... oh and new chair seats! It’s been a hair raising 10 days around here. The seasonal flu went traipsing through our house - one person at a time, with a big family that makes for a long time - too long. I’m clearly insane... nothing creative has been generated in many days.
So back in business are my creative pursuits as long as no one realizes I have snuck off to the studio for some computer time. I have not even made comments in over a week at any other blogs... sorry! I’ll be back into my normal schedule tomorrow, I hope!
On to the project...
Supplies:
scraps
thrift store towel
bias tape
sewing machine
Step One: Decide on your scraps and colors. Scraps are usually on the smaller side, so as I was designing this I came to the realization that potholders are too big. I have square ones and they can be clumsy at times. So these have the approximate dimensions: 6 inches by 8 1/2 inches. The pocket is cut on the fold with the dimensions: 6 inches by 4 1/2 inches. I like it!!
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Step Two: Cut two layers of towel that are slightly (1/2 inch) smaller than the fabric. I like to round the corners because bias tape is FAR easier to sew around a curve than a straight edge.
Step Three: “quilt” the fabric and towel together. I have done this with every combination of designs. Waffle, circles, zigzags, squares and straight lines as it is below. The edges will stretch and get uneven a little, so just trim everything to match up before continuing.
Step Four: On the folded edge of the pocket piece, sew some cute trim!
Step Five: Layer the pieces together and then zigzag the outer edges together. This holds all the pieces together so that sewing the bias tape is easier.
Step Six: Sew the bias tape over the rough edge, starting at the pocket edge. Make sure you are catching every layer inside the tape as you sew. I use a zigzag because it’s cute, it grabs the bias tape easily and it hides crooked seams. Most of the time I do two seams in contrasting colors, length and width for interest and to make sure the outer edge is very secure. It’s going to be used heavily so I want it to last. I also cover the ends of the bias tape where you start and finish the seams with something decorative. In this case I cut a cute felt flower and folded it around the edge. Hand stitch or straight stitch it in place.
...and here is the new seats on my favorite chairs. Many years ago we owned a cafe and I bought these chairs for use by customers. After we closed and sold most of the furniture these chairs had to stay. But the seats which turned out to be linseed covered canvas instead of leather wore through. It was time for a make over. :)
If you recover something simple like this just pay close attention to how you undo it and go in reverse to put it back together. It’s a really easy project that anyone can do.
Before:
After
