A Handy Pot Holder Set in 30's Playtime Small Blocks White

Hey everyone. Today you'll learn how to make a handy set of pot holders with sweet 1930s charm.

Here we go.

Meet the fabric

This is 30's Playtime Small Blocks in White.

It comes from Riley Blake.

The collection is 30's Playtime.

And the color is crisp white.

It tiles petite 1930s-style block motifs.

They sit neat and tidy across the white.

It is a reproduction geometric.

And it has real playtime charm.

This is quilting fabric.

It is 45 inches wide.

And it is sold by the yard.

It works well for quilts, backgrounds, and coordinates.

I love a small print for the kitchen.

You see every little block up close.

That white ground keeps it fresh and clean.

Really really cute, y'all.

Why it suits a pot holder set

A pot holder is a small padded square.

You use it to lift hot pans.

You also set hot dishes on it.

A good set lives right by the stove.

Ours will finish 8 inches square.

That fits most hands and pans well.

We will make a matching pair.

This fabric suits them for a few reasons.

Quilting fabric presses flat and crisp.

It layers well with batting.

And it quilts up nice and even.

The small blocks give you built-in charm.

You don't need fancy piecing here.

Let the print do the pretty work.

We're not reinventing the wheel here.

Two squares, good padding, simple quilting.

If I can do this, y'all can do it.

Super duper easy, and super useful, too.

What you will need

This 30's Playtime Small Blocks White fabric — 1/2 yard, enough for two pot holders front and back with a little left over
Heat-resistant batting, like Insul-Bright — 1/2 yard, or two 9-inch squares per pot holder if you double it up
Cotton batting — two 9-inch squares, one for each pot holder, for extra softness
Binding and loops — about 1 yard of binding per pot holder
100% cotton thread, 50-weight, in white or soft cream
Universal or quilting needle, size 80/12
Walking foot if you have one, rotary cutter, mat, ruler, pins or clips, and an iron

Let me walk through the cutting numbers.

For each pot holder, cut two fabric squares.

Make each square 9 inches by 9 inches.

For two pot holders, that's four squares total.

Cut your batting the same 9-inch size.

We will trim after quilting, nice and square.

We will sew with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

Set your stitch length to 2.5 millimeters.

That is about 10 stitches per inch.

For binding, cut strips 2 1/4 inches wide.

Press before you cut. Wrinkles in, wobbly cuts follow.

Brief steps

Press your fabric well. Cut four 9-inch fabric squares and your batting squares to match.
Layer one pot holder: back wrong side up, heat-resistant batting, cotton batting if using it, then top right side up.
Pin the layers. Quilt simple lines about 1 inch apart, or stitch in the ditch.
Trim the quilted square to a clean 8 1/2 inches.
Repeat for the second pot holder.
Make a small loop from a 4-inch strip. Pin it to one corner on the back.
Attach binding around all four sides, mitering corners. Catch that loop in at the corner.
Fold binding to the back, stitch it down, and press. Just like that.

On quilting, go slow and steady.

Those layers are thicker than a quilt block.

Slow down or the needle snaps, folks.

A walking foot feeds them evenly.

I rushed my first one once.

Oh my goodness, my lines wandered everywhere.

I slowed down. Easy fix. It quilted just fine.

One safety note, and I mean this one.

Always use heat-resistant batting for pot holders.

Regular batting alone is not enough protection.

Keep your hands safe, y'all.