Day 7: How to Make Pretty Retro Pot Holders

Hello crafty friends!

I hope this finds you enjoying your January and hopefully enjoying our 31 day challenge
to make, organize, decorate and cook our way thru the month with a No/Low Spend plan!

Of course, the winter bugs have arrived at casa twelveOeight, so it seems as though it has
taken me 12 days to get through 7 ideas and projects.
Oh well.  With any luck you are reading this and 7 things in 14 days is the most you can
do right now as well.  Then we are perfectly aligned and there is peace in the land.

I love to upcycle, like…anything.
One of the reasons why I cannot fit even a teeny car in my garage is my love of a good
upcycle.

Ok, some call it hoarding, but I haven’t been reported yet so I am going to work through
the stuff I don’t need this Spring and just hope A & E finds someone much worse off than me.
In the meantime, I love to use up pretty pieces of fabric for fun projects that don’t take
forever to make (hence the reason you don’t see a quilt on this blog yet, I want to be that
patient someday, I really do!) so today I am going to share a quick DIY with you.
How to make or recover your pot holders!

All bright and pretty, ready for action when you bake something yummy, or just set them
on the counter next to take out, I don’t judge! We would never eat dinner if it wasn’t for my
slow cooker and leftovers.  For real.

Ok, here is what I use to recover my existing pot holders.  If you are making pot holders
you can use a folded up old kitchen towel inside, or cut up an old bath towel that has seen
better days.  The only trick to that is there is a bit more work, as you will need to stitch the
layers together first to make sure the center doesn’t roll and move around when you use them
and wash them.

Another idea is the super good deals at the Dollar Store, $1 pot holders y’all!

Supplies:

• Old or new pot holders that you want to recover
• Fabric in your choice of colors/patterns (mix it up and make em funky!)
• Sewing machine, scissors and thread
• Or if sewing by hand thread, needle and scissors
• Iron

Directions:

If your pot holders have a loop on the corner, just trim it off, we are going to make a new one.
Cut two pieces of fabric giving yourself a 1/2 inch seam allowance on each side (measure your
pot holders and cut the fabric an inch larger than they are.)

With right sides together, sew three sides of the fabric together, smooth and iron out edges.

Use iron to turn open edge in 1/2 inch all around, place your pot holder inside, and stitch the
open side shut, and all around the edges of your “new” pot holder about 1/4″ in, just to you
are catching the edge of the old pot holder inside as to tack it down around the edges.

Next you can cut a small strip of fabric, about 1 1/2″ by 4″, fold and press each side in lengthwise,
then again in half lengthwise and press again.  This will become your loop for the corner. 

Just run a seam down the edge of the open side, cut and tie your loose threads, and attach
your loop to the corner with a few more stitches. 

You can sew a cute button at the base of your loop, or sew some pretty ric rack around the edges
of your finished pot holder. 

Get down with your bad self and make those babies really happy!
They will make you happy every time you see them, I promise.

Thank you so much for creating and being thrifty with me today.
If you missed our first five days in the series here they are, see you soon for another thrifty
and fabulous project!!

Day 5 : How to Clean and Update Those Gross Vent Covers

Day 4: All You Need Is Love Free Printable

Day 3: How Long Should I Keep Paperwork For?

Day 2: Enchilada Quinoa Casserole

Day 1: Pantry + Freezer Inventory Printable