Potholder Tutorial That's Easy Peasy For Beginners

I like to give fancy, shiny presents from the store. I do. But sometimes I just want to make something for someone. Yes, I could easily go to the store and pick up some potholders for very little money… but there’s this little part of me that wants to create and make things with my own two hands. So I made a few for Christmas gifts and I’m sharing my potholder tutorial with you.

These potholders are actually very easy to make. You could make up a bunch of these in one evening of sewing.

I like that this is a project that can help you use up scraps leftover from other projects. I feel like this gives some of my favorite fabrics a new life, so to speak, when I get one more little project out of them.

Supplies Needed:

• cotton fabric for front and back of potholder
• Insul-bright insulating batting
• coordinating thread, sewing machine, needle

You don’t need much fabric to make these. I was using up some scraps I had leftover from other projects but if you have to buy new then you will only need 1/4 yard of the fabric, 1/4 yard of the batting, and 1/4 yard of the insulated batting.

What is Insul-bright?

Ok, so a quick explanation on something important we are using for this project- Insul-bright. Insul-bright is a name brand of an insulated batting.

This is a batting that is heat resistant. It’s a thicker, stiffer type of batting with metal fibers in it.

Potholder Tutorial Video

This video tutorial that I made is basically the same process as I outline below. So if you prefer a written out tutorial with photos then scroll past the video tutorial.

Written Potholder Tutorial

Step 1: Wash, dry, and cut your fabric. Make the following cuts:

• Cotton fabric: two 8 inch squares and a 4 inch X 2 inch rectangle
• Insul-bright: one 8 inch square (or 2 if you like… see note below)
• (optional) extra batting: one 8 inch square (I read a comment on pinterest that these were too thin with just one layer of Insul-bright… Mine work just fine for me for what I need in my kitchen but if you want yours to be thicker then by all means add in another piece of Insul-bright or batting)

Step 2: Take the rectangle, fold it in half lengthwise, and press it.

Open it back up and fold both sides to the middle and press.

Then fold it along the middle line and press closed again.

Fold it in half width-wise and press.

Step 3: Now take one of the 8 inch squares and lay it down right side up.

Then lay the rectangle piece in a corner, with the folded end toward the inside.

Lay the other cotton square on top of this, with the right side down.

Then top it with the Insul-bright square. Pin everything into place.

Step 4: Sew along the edge of the stack, sewing 1/2 inch from the edge. Leave a 2-3 inch opening on one side. Trim the corners.

Step 5: Use the hole to turn the potholder right side out. Iron it nice and flat. Pin and sew around the edge, sewing 1/2 inch around the edge.

I like to do a double topstitch around the edge. You could even do something like quilting lines, squares, or some other fun design onto the top.

Prep Time 20 minutes Active Time 20 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Difficulty easy Estimated Cost depends on materials

Materials

• cotton fabric for front and back of potholder
• Insul-bright insulating batting
• coordinating thread

Tools

• sewing machine
• needle
• scissors or rotary cutting set
• pins

Instructions

1. Wash, dry, and cut your fabric. Make the following cuts: Cotton fabric: two 8 inch squares and a 4 inch X 2 inch rectangle Insulbrite: one 8 inch square (or 2 if you like… see note below) (optional) extra batting: one 8 inch square (I read a comment on pinterest that these were too thin with just one layer of Insul-bright… Mine work just fine for me for what I need in my kitchen but if you want yours to be thicker then by all means add in another piece of Insulbrite or batting)
2. Take the rectangle, fold it in half lengthwise, and press it. Open it back up and fold both sides to the middle and press. Then fold it along the middle line and press closed again. Fold it in half width-wise and press.
3. Now take one of the 8 inch squares and lay it down right side up. Then lay the rectangle piece in a corner, with the folded end toward the inside. Lay the other cotton square on top of this, with the right side down. Then top it with the Insul-bright square. Pin everything into place.
4. Sew along the edge of the stack, sewing 1/2 inch from the edge. Leave a 2-3 inch opening on one side. Trim the corners.
5. Use the hole to turn the potholder right side out. Iron it nice and flat. Pin and sew around the edge, sewing 1/2 inch around the edge. I like to do a double topstitch around the edge. You could even do something like quilting lines, squares, or some other fun design onto the top.

Now you’ve got some fun little gifts, perfect for a housewarming or hostess gift. Want more potholders? Check out my pocket potholders.

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