How to Make Crazy Patch Pot Holders

My friend Zoë, she’s pretty cool, and her potholders? Well, I think they’re out of this world cute. Zoë sells her potholders in her Etsy shop for between $11-$20 a set. Which, if you are looking for something totally handmade, is a steal. Especially since the potholders I made took me a good 2, maybe 3 hours to make. 😉

True, there was a lot of chatting, tea making and apple pie sampling going on in between choosing colors, but still. I won’t be quitting my day job to go into the pot holder business anytime soon. Such a labor of love I tell you. Such a labor of love.

As I was making my potholders, Zoë was telling me how she divides up her fabric scraps into 3 piles.

Pile #1 is for larger quilt pieces

Pile #2 is for postage stamp quilts

Pile #3 is for pot holders {pieces less than 1″ square}

Did I mention she doesn’t BUY new fabric from a real fabric store? Nope. Zoë gets fabric cast offs from her local re-use store {so basically she is buying donated fabric at crazy low prices}. Smart Girl.

Yada yada yada. Let’s make some potholders.

Cut {2}  7″ square pieces of backing out of muslin fabric {an old sheet works too}.

Using bits of fabric, start at the top of your muslin square, cover the edges and gradually work your way down the square using additional pieces to cover up all of the background fabric. Make sure you allow 1/4″ of an inch overlap on each piece.

Pin your scraps to the muslin backing.

Using the zigzag stitch on your sewing machine, go over the edges of all your fabric with coordinating thread. Iron your crazy patch squares and set aside.

If you want to add a bird or something else to the top of your pot holders {do it, it’s super cute!!!} simply draw out a simple shape onto a piece of paper {I think my bird was about 4″x3″}. Cut out the paper pattern, and cut out a piece of muslin that is a little larger than your bird {or whatever shape you choose}.

Just like you did with the 7″ crazy patch square, use bits of fabric, start at the top of your muslin square/rectangle, cover the edges and gradually work your way down the square,rectangle using additional pieces to cover up all of the background fabric. Make sure you allow 1/4″ of an inch overlap on each piece.

Pin your scraps to the muslin backing and use the zig zag stitch on your sewing machine to go over the edges of all your fabric with coordinating thread. Iron your crazy patch.

Place your paper pattern piece over your crazy patch and cut out the bird {or other shape}.

Add your crazy patch bird on top of your crazy patch potholder top and pin in place. Legs and a beak are totally optional.

Sew your bird onto your crazy patch background. Iron.

Trim your pot holder to 6.5″ square. We used a 6.5″ quilter’s square for this.

Next up, layering.

You’ll need 2 pieces of fabric for the back of your pot holder {mine were about 8.5″ square} and {2} 7.5″ pieces of heavy wool fabric to sandwhich between the front and the back of the pot holder.

Zoë uses recycled wool {blankets I presume} for the lining of her pot holders. This makes for some seriously sturdy pot holders.

Pin wrong sides together and using a free hand pressure foot make some doodles around your bird and the center of your pot holder. If you don’t have a free hand pressure foot straight lines are cool too. 😉

Cut {2} 30″x2″ strips of fabric for your binding. Fold the binding in half pressing the wrong sides together and iron along the entire length.

Starting 3″ away from the corner, place your binding on the bottom of the front side of your pot holder and stitch into place leaving about 1/2″ at the corner as shown above.

Bring the binding back down, creating a tuck of fabric underneath. 

This will form a miter on the front of the potholder. Starting from the corner of the potholder, stitch the next side of binding down until you reach the next corner.

After you’ve rounded the last corner, trim off the excess, leaving a two inches of overlap fabric to work with. Open up the end of binding and place the beginning piece inside of it. Stitch in place.

Trim off the excess backing and wool lining.

Turn your binding fabric over, and pin it to the back of your pot holder.

Stitch in place.

Seriously, how cute are these pot holders?

Thanks Zoë for teaching me how to make them.

Keep Calm, and Craft On!

~Mavis