How to Sew Potluck Pals: Casserole and Pie Carriers for Gatherings
Getting a hot casserole or a fresh pie from your kitchen to a family gathering in one piece is half the challenge of potluck cooking. Potluck Pals is a pattern for making two handy carriers designed for exactly that job — one for a standard casserole dish and one for pies and cupcakes — so your dish arrives secure, insulated, and easy to carry.
What Is Potluck Pals?
Potluck Pals includes instructions for two carriers. The Casserole Carrier measures 9-1/2in W x 14-1/2in L x 4in H and transports a standard 9in x 13in casserole dish. It has zippered pockets on the top and bottom to hold utensils, napkins, a cutting board, and more, plus an inner mesh slip pocket for a hot/cold pack. The Pie Carrier measures 11-1/2in D x 3in H and is sized for pies — even deep dish — or cupcakes. Each carrier features sturdy handles for easy carrying and a place to insert a base stabilizer for extra stability. The pattern uses ByAnnie's Soft and Stable™ for stability and insulation, and calls for Annie's Handbag zippers.
Why Quilters and Sewists Make Them
These carriers are made for potlucks, tailgating, family gatherings, and parties — anywhere food needs to travel. Soft and Stable gives the carriers structure so they hold their shape, and it also provides insulation to help keep food hot or cold. The zippered pockets mean serving pieces travel with the dish instead of in a separate bag, and the mesh pocket keeps a hot or cold pack with the food rather than loose in the car. For sewists, the project is also a satisfying way to use favorite fabrics on something that will be seen and used again and again, instead of a disposable cover or a wobbly stack of towels around a dish.
How to Make and Use Them, Step by Step
- Choose your carrier. Start with the Casserole Carrier if you most often bring 9in x 13in dishes, or the Pie Carrier if pies and cupcakes are your usual contribution.
- Gather the key supplies. In addition to your fabrics, you will need ByAnnie's Soft and Stable for the body and Annie's Handbag zippers, as the pattern specifies.
- Follow the pattern to construct the body. Build the carrier around the Soft and Stable so it finishes sturdy and insulated, and add the base stabilizer where the pattern provides a place for it.
- Add the zippers and pockets. Install the zippered pockets on the top and bottom of the Casserole Carrier, and finish the inner mesh slip pocket so a hot or cold pack can slide in.
- Finish the handles. Attach the sturdy handles securely — they carry the full weight of the dish, so this is a step worth sewing carefully.
- Load and go. Set your dish inside, add utensils, napkins, or a cutting board to the pockets, insert a hot or cold pack if you are using one, zip everything closed, and carry it by the handles, keeping it level.
Practical Tips
- Test the fit first. Before a big event, place your actual casserole dish or pie plate inside the finished carrier to confirm the fit and practice zipping it closed.
- Match the pack to the food. Use the mesh pocket's hot/cold pack to suit what you are carrying, so hot dishes stay warm and cold dishes stay chilled on the drive.
- Keep it level in the car. Set the carrier on a flat surface for transport and carry it with both handles so the dish does not tip or slide.
- Put serving pieces in the pockets. Loading utensils and napkins into the zippered pockets ahead of time means nothing essential gets left behind in the kitchen.
Care and Storage
Store your carriers flat or upright in a kitchen cabinet or pantry where they will not be crushed, and keep the base stabilizer with its carrier so it is ready for the next outing. Let a carrier air out after carrying hot food before zipping it away, and check the zippers and handles periodically so they stay in good working order for the next gathering.
Project Ideas
Make the Casserole Carrier in seasonal fabrics for holiday dinners, or sew the Pie Carrier for bake sales, church suppers, and tailgates. A matching set in coordinating fabrics makes a thoughtful handmade gift for a cook, especially when paired with a favorite family recipe. Because the two carriers cover the dishes most often shared, making both means you are ready for just about any invitation that asks you to bring something along.
Shop the Potluck Pals at Linda's Electric Quilters.
