Forbidden fruit pot holders- sewing tutorial

In the previous post I showed you how to draft a pattern for this deliciously looking pot holders. Now it is a time to grab a tea or coffee and make one or two! Let’s dive in!

Sewing tutorial

Cut out all your pattern pieces as mentioned in the latest post.

Take heat resistant fabric and sandwich it between the main body pieces. Quilt it all over in desired lines or you can follow mine design. I took one piece of main body and using straight lines attached it to the heat resistant fabric following with sewing the other main piece to the other side quilting in straight lines that goes from side to side.

My pot holders are very colourful, so I picked the darkest color to be the base in case it gets dirty. Whenever you work with some kind of heat resistant material you need to remember that the shiny side of the fabric is the one that blocks the heat from getting in contact with your body, so make sure to always place facing away from your skin.

Once the main body is quilted you can take all four pocket pieces (mine are in two different colors) and using a basting stitch sew it around the edges within your seam allowance. If you need to stabilize it more do not be afraid to use some interfacing.

Using bias binding finish only the straight edge.

To make it easier do it in two steps, first unfold the tape and place it on top of the pocket stitching along the crease line. Next fold it over the to the other side ensuring the first stitch line is covered and top-stitch in place.

Place both pockets on top of the main body piece and hold it in place using pins. Sew around the edge with a long basting stitch.

Assembly your tab and leaf pieces next.

For my leaf I placed the leaf pattern pieces wrong sides together and using zig zag stitch sewn it together .

For the tab I folded it in half with right sides together, stitched it and using a safety pin turned the fabric inside out.

Place one end of a tab between pockets and baste it in place. Next following the same steps use bias binding to finish around the border.

For a clean finish start sewing the bias tape by folding about 1 cm inside and stitch around the first crease line finishing on top of the first fold.

Turn the bias tape over to the back and tuck the other end of a tab underneath. Pin or hand baste to stop it from shifting and sew it with straight stitch in a ditch.

Pin one leaf in a preferred position and either stitch it on top of the zig zag or hand sew it to the main body.

Tadaaahhh, you are done with your make! Are we making a pie next???

~do you prefer to use oven gloves or pot holders while cookig/baking?~

Monika xxx

Forbidden fruit pot holders – pattern drafting

Hello! As promised today I will show you how to draft a simple pattern for a apple shaped pot holders, so you can make it as part of a matching set with oven gloves from previous post.

Apples are one of my favorite fruits, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate its shape into a decorative , but handy pot holders. However feel free to create a different shape if you prefer.

Pattern drafting

Fold a piece of paper in half and draw a shape that roughly resemble an apple ( or heart, pear, circle etc.) and cut it out. It needs to be bigger then your hand, because you will insert your hand when in use, plus you will need to add some bias binding at the edges, which will in turn decrease the opening size a little.

Fold the pattern in half and make a copy of its shape on a separate piece of paper.

Next, draw a slated line about 1cm from the top edge and 2-3cm at the bottom edge. This will be the pot holder opening to insert your hand, so you can make it bigger if you want to, but i would not recommend it any smaller, as it will be more difficult to put your hand inside.

Mark your pattern pieces, so you know exactly how many times it has to be cut out and from which fabric:

-potholder: cut twice from main fabric and once from heat resistant fabric

– potholder pocket: cut 4 times main fabric ( or 2 times main and 2 times lining fabric if using scraps), if your fabric is lightweight I would recommend interfacing your pocket pieces, so it holds it shape and gives more structure.

Draw a rectangle for a loop/ tap that will be an apples tail. You can angle it on side like I have done if you wish. It will be sewn on hold, so you only need to cut it once.

Last pattern piece will be our apples leaf, so fold the paper in half and draw a curved line. It’s shape and size really depends on you, so have fun with it. You can even make two or more different size leafs if you like it. Cut it twice for each leaf you want to make and use some interfacing again, if your fabric is soft or it drape.

As you can see the pattern pieces for an apple shaped potholder are completed. Now you can look through you leftover fabric to find a color combination that suits your aesthetics or desires. In the next post I will show you how to sew this lovely potholder.

~Have fun drafting you own patterns!~

Monika xxx