Potholder Shmotholder

On Zeb's mom's (Barb's) Christmas list this year were potholders. Easy enough, right? I wish. Upon visiting three to four stores in search of the perfect potholders, I was extremely underwhelmed. They were just so basic and not cute at all, and for the price, I wanted them to be functional and super cute. 


I looked at etsy too and that's when I decided I should just make my own as I knew then that they would be exactly what I was looking for.

Let the sewing extravaganza begin.

First, I found the best tutorial on how to make potholders over at Prudent Baby. That's where I was informed about the ole Insul-Bright batting to protect against heat, and visiting their website I read this warning:

*At least one layer of cotton batting is recommended with Insul~Bright when used as Oven Mitts or Pot Holders. Insul~Bright is heat-RESISTANT, NOT heat-proof.


With all the necessary supplies: the cute cotton fabric, the Insul-Bright, the cotton batting and bias tape, my sewing project began.


I took pictures, of course- a usable blogging moment! I thought. Not only can I have the most beautiful potholders, but you can too!


Step 1: Cut your fabric.

Step 2: Enlist help.

Step 3: Layer everything together: fabric on the outside and the batting in the middle. I used one layer of the Insul-Bright and one layer of the cotton batting.

Step 4: Quilt any way you would like. I just did straight lines. 

Step 5: Add the bias tape.


This is where things get tricky. Actually they got a little tricky at step 4 as well, but step 5 is what brought my project to a screeching halt.


Prudent Baby provided a great tutorial for sewing on bias tape which I followed closely, however, my project started to look like something I made in 5th grade, not a sewing project I made in 2011 and I was starting to get stressed out. 


I think the problem was all of the layers I was using the bias tape to cover. It was just looking a little bulky and not like a nicely finished edge. 


Of course, I wanted these potholders to be the most beautiful potholders anyone has ever seen. I wanted to hear a gasp as Barb opened them Christmas morning. I wanted tears. 


"Never have I seen anything so beautiful" She would exclaim.


Anyway, I put the potholders away to work on anther day, but that day never came. Every time I thought about working on them again, I would get stressed out again because I had convinced myself they weren't going to turn out how I imagined. 


Then I had this idea that I should just stop stressing, buy some potholders and call it good. 


So that's what I did. (Zeb bought them actually). He was on his way to Target and I asked him to pick up the potholders his mom asked for and then I took a nap. A glorious, stress free nap. 


Perhaps I'll finish the potholders another day, and maybe I won't.