The Last Finishes of 2021

My daughter asked for hotpads for Christmas.  In the scheme of things, these are tiny finishes (compared to a quilt) but finishes they are.  They are all made from scraps or unused blocks.

Before washing and drying the top ones measured 7 5/8" square and the bottom ones measured 8 1/4" square.  After washing and drying they measure 7 1/4" and 7 7/8", respectively.  So, they shrank about 3/8".  I made them large knowing they would shrink but I expected more shrinkage.  They'll still work.

I debated about using two layers of Warm and Natural batting and finally decided on three layers.  I've made hotpads before but I didn't document exactly how I made them which left me to figure it out again.  After making the tops I cut the batting and background a little larger and anchored them in place.  I hand-anchored two sets, then used a long machine stitch to anchor the other set.  Then I cut them to size and added the 2" folded binding around the edges.  That didn't work very well.  The quarter-inch seam seemed to almost disappear in the thickness of the batting and it seemed less than a quarter inch..  I don't know how else I would have done it though because I don't have a quarter-inch presser foot for my machine.  I'll give it more thought before making more hotpads.

My daughter's kitchen walls are that tealish color and her favorite color is red.  Next time, though, I don't think I'll use such a light color as the off-white in the wedding ring hotpads.  I don't know about you but my hotpads often pick up discoloration when the they touch the edges of a pan where they meet the food.

And that's the end of 2021 (in less than four hours).  Good riddance, I say.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

--Nancy.

Scrap Hot Pads

A cut off strip from the end of this too-long quilt became four, double-sided hot pads. 

Last Saturday I cut the strip into pieces, put them back to back, and machine stitched the binding around the edges.  During this week I hand stitched the binding to the reverse sides.  They came out of the dryer today measuring about 6 1/2" x 7 1/4".  Both of my daughters want to take them home.

Finishes are in short supply around here so I'm pleased for even small finishes.  A finish is a finish, right?

I'm linking this post to Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, ladies.

I hope you have a great weekend.

--Nancy.
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Quilt Leftovers - Slow Sunday Stitching

I recently cut off the end of a quilt (because it was just too long) but I couldn't make myself throw away that quilted strip.  It laid around until recently when I realized I could cut it into smaller pieces, layer two together, and bind them.  Voilà!  Hot pads.

The strip was long enough to make four double-sided hot pads.  I sewed the binding on by machine and today I'll hand-stitch it to the reverse side.

Side one:

Side two:

Talk about scraps!  I just can't throw anything away.  I wouldn't give these hot pads as gifts -- they're just utility hot pads -- but I'm happy to have turned that waste strip into something useful.   

I'm linking this post to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

I hope you have a peaceful, restful Sabbath.

--Nancy.

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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". 

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.

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.

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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