Friday, February 19, 2016

Workhorses of the Kitchen

I think of hotpads/potholders as the workhorses of the kitchen.  I couldn't cook or bake without them but neither do I give them much thought or attach too much importance to them.  I just want them to keep my hands from getting burned.

One of my daughters was using a folded flour sack for a hotpad so I made her a few new ones.  Experimental ones, you know, because I wasn't sure how many layers of batting to use, or whether to stitch with wrong sides together and turn, or to bind around the edges.  And I wasn't sure how much the batting would shrink after being washed and dried.  You can see I used a few different quilting styles.

This one is made from cotton upholstery-like fabric.  It finished at about 7" and shrank to about 6 1/4". 
quilted hotpad
I used two layers of Cream Rose cotton batting.  I layered this right sides together with the batting behind, stitched around the edges, then turned and stitched the opening.  I used perle cotton to "quilt" it.  I don't think it is thick enough but will offer some protection from the heat.  Sometimes I use two hotpads if I know I'm going to be holding a hot pan or cookie sheet for longer than half a minute.

This one measured about 7" and now measures nearly 6 1/2" after being laundered.  It also has two layers of Cream Rose batting.
scrappy quilted hotpad
It seems thinner than the first, probably because the fabrics are all either cotton shirts or quilting fabric.  I layered this one as above but machine-stitched around the edges after I turned it and also stitched across the center strips. 

This one measures 7".   It hasn't been washed and dried yet so I don't know how much it will shrink.
quilted hotpad
I used four layers of cotton batting, then machine-stitched/quilted the layers together.  I stitched around the edges and used binding to finish it.  I think this one will offer the most protection but I don't think machine "quilting" worked well on so many thicknesses of batting.

They're just little finishes but I'm pleased to have them done.

I hope you're making progress on whatever you're working on and perhaps have a finish, too.

Go to these websites to see what others are working on and/or have finished this week:
- finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
- WiPs be Gone at A Quilter's Reading Garden
- Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
- Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework

--Nancy.
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9 comments:

  1. Hot pads are always a great way to use up small bits of fabric. Thanks for sharing yours with Oh Scrap!

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  2. Useful gifts, and a great way to use up scraps and to also experiment with quilting styles. I'd love to know if the four layer one was useful for very hot things. I've used thermal batting before with hot pads and they are very resistant to heat but boy is that stuff expensive! So I'd love to know if there's a cheaper alternative.

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    1. Hi, Jennifer. I hadn't thought of the usefulness of a hotpad in trying out quilt blocks and quilt styles until I made these. (I know I'll probably not make that twisty block again.)

      I think the extra layers of batting work. Many years ago, before I was quilting, I made a set of hotpads for my mom and used two layers of toweling in the middle. My daughter is still using them today and says they're fine. They don't give the look of quilting but I'm sure one could hand-stitch through the layers to give a quilted effect.

      I've never tried thermal batting.

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  3. I still haven't got round to making a potholder for our kitchen...We've been using an old teacosy to grab hold of hot handles! You've given me the push to get on and make us a potholder. ☺

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  4. Potholders are so important, yours turned out cute.

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  5. These are all lovely! I think the top one is my favorite. I'm partial to ticking stripe fabric! All in all, I'd say crocheted pot holders are the best, but then I am biased toward crochet. I did try "fulling" a crocheted woolen potholder some time ago and really love those. VERY thick -- no burns for sure.

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    1. The top one is my favorite, too, Kathleen. I wish I had more of that fabric, maybe in different color ranges.

      I have crocheted hotpads that my grandmother made, and they are good, but I don't think they are as good as the ones made from cotton loops on a metal frame loom. It may depend on the yarn one uses to crochet them, though.

      I thought about using a piece of a felted wool sweater in the center of these but decided against it because I know wool keeps shrinking. I'm positive that these will be tossed in the washer and dryer.

      But, I hadn't thought about plain wool hotpads. I know wool is great for protecting against heat. I'll have to try a few. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  6. What fun! I think little finishes are great motivators!

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    1. Yes, they are. But I don't want to make more hotpads now, just work on quilts in progress. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, Brenna.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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