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A Little Pot Holder Love

20
Sep 2011

I recently particpated in the Holiday Bake, Craft and Sew Along over at Skip to My Lou.
For the Sew Along, I wanted to come up with a gift that was fun and easy to make – but that people don’t always remember to buy for themselves.

I thought that some cute Pot Holders would be just the thing! It’s more fun to cook and bake with cute pot holders don’t you think?
I have two versions for you today – here’s the first:

How can you not feel awesome when you’re taking muffins (or creme brulee) out of the oven with this snazzy potholder?
I have been loving all the “lined paper” projects around and I thought that the idea was perfect for a fun, ok . . . silly, pot holder.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

For Front Piece of Potholder -
White Fabric – 2 pieces 8″ x 8 1/2″
Pellon Insul-fleece – 1 piece 8″ x 8 1/2″
Pellon lightweight batting – 1 piece 8″ x 8 1/2″

For Back Piece of Potholder -
Back Fabric – 2 pieces 10″ x 8 1/2″
Pellon Insul-fleece – 1 piece 10″ x 8 1/2″
Pellon Lightweight Batting – 1 Piece 8″ x 8 1/2″

For Binding -
1 piece cut on bias – 3″ x 42″
1 piece cut on bias – 3″ x 9″

To Make the Pot Holder -

Cut out your fabrics. Lay your pieces so that the small front pieces are together and the back pieces are together.

For the Front of the Pot Holder, make a sandwich with the two white pieces of fabric on the outsides, right sides out, and the Insul-fleece and batting inside.
Sew 1/4″ around all the sides to hold everything together.

Measure down from the top 1 1/2″ and draw a line across the rectangle with a disappearing marking pen. Mark the next line 3/4″ below that.
Continue marking lines down the rectangle until you reach the bottom.

With blue thread, sew across the marked lines. Go over the top line 4 times and the other lines 2 times.

Measure 1 1/2″ from the left side and mark a vertical line down the rectangle. Sew over this line with red thread 4 times.

With your marking pen, write out your clever phrase on the fabric. Embroider the letters with a simple stem stitch.

Fold the 9″ piece of binding in half, wrong sides together and press.
On the back side of the front piece, lay the raw edges along the top edge of the rectangle. Sew down with a 3/8″ seam allowance.

Fold the binding over to the front of the rectangle and sew it down just inside the folded edge.

For the back of the Pot Holder, make a sandwich with the fabric and fleeces just like you did with the front.
Sew 1/4″ around all the sides, then sew vertical lines down the rectangle 1″ apart.

Lay the front of the pot holder over the back with the bottom sides matching up. Trim off any excess and sew the sides and bottom together with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Trim the corners so they are just a little bit rounded.

Bind the potholder around all four sides, just like you did for the top of the front piece.

Cute huh? And so quick! I love having the little pocket to slide my hand in.

I’m a bit of a klutz so the more protected my hands are when I stick them in the oven, the better!

The back is super cute too!

If you prefer something that is a little more “traditional” you can use the same steps as above. You can adjust the size easily too!
This version is a little smaller – 7 1/2″ x 9″ finished – and has rows of little embroidered running stitches over machine stitching on the front in the same colors as the cute retro fabric in the back.
I did the little running stitches over the machine stitching around the edge of the binding in front too.

I pretty much love them both. ;)

What do you think? Wouldn’t they make a fun gift?

I’m linking to Sunday Scoop, Today’s Creative Blog, Met Monday, Skip to my Lou, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday, Quilt Story, and the other fabulous parties on the sidebar – make sure you check them out!

Category: Embroidery, Sewing Tags: Sewing 48 Comments

ps. . . i love you.

10
Jan 2011

Beverly

One of my favorite things about the blog world is all the inspiration out there.

In the past, before I started reading blogs, I didn’t really decorate for the holidays - other than Christmas. But there’s something about taking the time to add some fresh new decorations throughout the seasons that makes me feel more proud of my house and decor. (I wasn’t really so much before.)
And this time of year it’s really hitting me - you take down all the Christmas things and yes, the house feels all fresh and clean, but it also feels kind of naked. Like a dog that’s been shaved for the summer. You know it’s a good idea, but it’s still kind of weird.

So I’m diving into Valentine’s Day with both feet. I have a lot of fun ideas – I’m hoping I can get them all done. I might still be celebrating in March. We’ll see.

I’m starting off with this little stitched Love Note.

It’s a little note embroidered onto fabric that I stitched lines on to look like paper. I know the idea’s not a new one – I can’t remember where I’ve seen it. But I think it’s so sweet and simple.
And I love how the fabric looks all wrinkly- just like a note that you carried around forever and put in a frame.

Ready for a tutorial?? :)

You will need:
• Frame – mine is a 5 x 7 – from the Dollar Store – woohoo!
• Fabric – white - 8 1/2 x 11 piece
• Thread for paper lines – I used Gray and a Dark Pink
• Dark Gray embroidery Thread
• Extra fabric, buttons and trim for decorating frame (optional)

Begin by tracing a 5″ x 7″ rectangle onto the middle of your fabric piece with a fabric marker. You can use the insert from the frame for this.

Mark another line 1 1/4″ down from the top of the rectangle.

With your gray thread, sew a double line of stitching along this line. Sew a straight line in one direction, leave the needle in the fabric and flip it around, and sew back the other direction.

Mark lines down the rectangle 1/2″ below the sewn line and every 1/2″ after that.

Sew single lines of stitching on these lines. Feel free to extend the stitching past the 5 x 7 rectangle.
You can take a little shortcut with these – don’t clip your threads after every row. Just sew down one row, then rotate the fabric and sew down the next row, and on down the rectangle.

Trim all your threads – then switch to your dark pink or red thread.

Mark a line vertically down the fabric, 3/4″ from the left side of your original rectangle.
Sew a double line of stitching on this marked line.

Decide what you would like your note to say. You can either print out a cute font, or write it in your own handwriting. Either way, practice tracing it out on paper a few times, then write your note on the fabric with your marking pen.

Embroidery your letters using 3 strands of embroidery floss and a stem stitch. (You can find directions for that stitch in this post.)

Remove any marking and press the embroidery hoop lines out of the fabric.

If you liked the wrinkled paper look – crinkle up your fabric. Smash it up into a ball. :)

Put your fabric into your frame.

Decide that maybe you’re not too happy with this boring frame. Dress it up in true bloggy fashion. ;)

This frame had a groove around it that I thought would be perfect for ric rac. Because really, what isn’t??

I hot glued it on – with my handy dandy new fancy Christmas present Glue Gun – that I adore. (Thanks sweetie!)
It’s Smoking Hot. Literally.

I was seriously distracted watching this thing smoke. I’m going to assume it’s smoking because it’s new.

I also made a couple of fabric rosettes to add to the frame. There are a milllllllion tutorials out there for these - but I thought I’d include one since I’ve put them on the frame – and really, I think it might be a blog requirement written in secret code somewhere – along with uses of mod podge, burlap, and book pages. :)

Start with a strip of fabric about 1 1/2″ to 2″ wide. Make a small knot in one end.

Hold the knot in your left hand and with your right hand, begin twisting the strip and wrapping it around around the knot.

Continue wrapping and twisting, using your left hand to hold the rose in place as you go.

Clip your fabric when you get the rose the size you want and tuck the end underneath.

Glue the rose to a felt circle slightly smaller than the rose. This will hold all the folds in place.

You can leave them as-is at this point – or you can dress them up a little. I added buttons to the center to tie in the gray in the stitching.

Glue the rosettes to the frame -

And you’re all finished!

What do you think? I love it. It makes me smile. ;)

Do you decorate for Valentine’s Day?

In addition to the fun parties on my sidebar – I’m linking up to the Valentine’s Edition of Tip Me Tuesday and the CSI Project!! :)

Category: Embroidery, Holiday, Sewing Tags: Embroidery, Sewing, Valentine's Day 116 Comments

Give Thanks! Changeable Frame

31
Oct 2010

Beverly

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I know it gets kind of lost in the holiday shuffle – it’s kind of the wallflower at the party.

But there’s something pretty special about a holiday that makes us (or should anyway) stop and take a look at all the things we are thankful for. Not to mention all that pumpkin pie. I’m thankful for that.

I wanted to focus more on Thanksgiving this year – take some time this month to really think about the ways we are blessed. And of course have fun with it too since we are a pretty goofy bunch.

I came up with this Give Thanks! Frame to help us keep track of things we’re thankful for . . .

It has glass over the embroidery so we can write different things all month.
Psalm 136:1 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” :)

This is super quick and easy – but I have a tutorial for you if you’d like to make one too!

You’ll need:

Frame (mine is 8 x 10)
Paint if you have an old oak frame you want to redo :)
Linen
Embroidery Thread/Hoop/Needle

Decide what you’d like your frame to say and print it out on a piece of paper. (If you like what I used you can download it at the end of the post)

To make tracing your design onto the fabric easier, tape the paper onto a window that has light coming through it, then tape your fabric over that. The design should be pretty easy to trace at that point.

I embroidered all the letters with a stem stitch. Here is a quick lesson in case you need it.

With your fabric in your embroidery hoop, knot your thread and bring it up from the back of your fabric.

Using the picture below, the point where your thread comes up is “A”. Insert your needle at “B” and bring it back out at “C”.

The distance between A, B, & C should be the equal.

Keep your loose thread above the stitch, and repeat, following the picture below. Your needle will come out at a point touching the end of the previous stitch.

Continue stitching this way following all lines and curves. If your stitches start to “fall” or don’t lay flat on a curve, do a small stitch around the stem stitch to hold it in place.

Here is the finished lettering.

Cut a piece of posterboard or scrap cardboard to fit your frame. Attach your fabric to the posterboard. I used a spray adhesive for this but you could use any type of glue.

(Note my wrinkled scrap fabric. I put that down to keep the spray adhesive from going all over the place and making me have sticky feet next time I walked on that part of the floor.)

If you have a frame you like you can skip this next few steps. I did not have a frame I liked.

I pulled out an old oak frame that had pretty moulding and spray painted it cream.

Here it is in its little spray paint house.

Because I’m cheap resourceful – the only cream spraypaint I had on hand was plastic spray paint. Which left the frame rather shiny.

I sanded it up a bit to give it a more shabby look.

That’s pretty good but I wanted to take the age-ing just a bit further. I watered down some Burnt Sienna craft paint and used a damp paper towel to lightly rub the paint over the frame. Kind of like a stain.

This took just a bit more of the gloss off and gave it a “warmer” tone if that makes any sense.

Put the embroidery in the frame and put the backing back on it. Now you have a great way to write down all your blessings this month!

Here it is on our little entry way table.

Obviously we have some jokers here. Which is all good.

Yes. That says Bacon and Hot Bloggers. Here’s a window to my world.

My plan is to erase it every few days and have everyone write new things down. Some days we’ll do a theme – everyone has to pick something they are thankful for on a particular subject.
For example:

God
School/Work
Family Members
Our Country

You get the idea.

What do you think? How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

Oh – and a peek into this week. I want to thank everyone who chimed in the Bloggy update post – your responses meant A LOT to me. We will be keeping the willy nilly approach for now – but I do have a few things scheduled this week so I’ll share them now and you can get all excited.
Coming up tomorrow we have a super sweet giveaway and later in the week we have a Thanksgiving Craft for kiddos – or childish adults and a guest post at Me Making Do for her Crafty Creative Christmas Week. So make sure to check back in!!

Here’s the download for the Give Thanks Embroidery.