How to Make Your Own Pot Holders

These little pot holders were a lot of fun to make. I was originally inspired by a handmade pot holder my grandmother had made some years ago that is in regular use in my kitchen. Though I don't have the exact pattern, I was able to use it as a template to measure for sizing. These are easy to make regardless of whether or not you own a sewing machine (in fact, with all the thicknesses of fabric involved, it's probably a better project for hand-sewing anyway).

Step 1: Cut a 7 ½ inch square of patterned fabric and 7 ½ inch square in a coordinating plain color.

Step 2: Cut several 7 ½ squares of thick fabric to use as lining. You may want to compare the thickness to an existing pot holder. I've even recycled towels as a liner, since they provide extra thickness and firmer texture.

Step 3: Pick a coordinating bias tape. Choose a wide double-fold tape . . . or create your own! I cut 3-inch strips of fabric and ironed it to create my own bias tape. This allowed me to achieve a perfect color match with the back fabric panel.

Step 4: Sew the layers together. This will hold everything in place so the edges don't slip out during the finishing stage.

Step 5: Hand sew the bias tape, beginning in the corner and creating folds as you turn each new corner. I usually create 3-4 tiny folds, sewing each one down until the bias naturally lines up with the next side of the square.

Step 6: On the final corner, continue to sew to the edge and create a loop out of the remaining bias. Fold the raw edge of the bias out of sight and sew the clean edge to the back of the pot holder at the corner. With tiny stitches, close the opening around the bottom edge of the loop.

I typically make these pot holders in sets of two, as that seems to be my personal limit before I get maxed out on working with the same colors of fabric. For extra fun, try a coordinating set with similar but different patterns or contrasting bias tape. These make great gifts, but it doesn't hurt to keep a couple for your own kitchen!