Potholders--Fifth Finish 2nd Quarter FAL

Pieces in progress for potholder #1

Layered and ready to quilt

I continue to work through my UFOs and WIPs! Last quarter, I cut fabric from the scraps in the ziplock bag for one potholder. This kit has been around a long time. When my oldest daughter was about 11, she packaged fabrics along with a note listing the block to stitch. She also included information about which fabric was the background, light, medium and dark! I sewed some pot holders which I gave away. Later, I packed away the "kits" in a shoe box.

There wasn't enough of the neutral feather background fabric so I supplemented other scraps with the same value. After I had cut the two main fabrics, which were a green solid and a red print, I thought that I could sew at least two more if I added another neutral fabric, another backing and maybe another binding.

Pieces kitted and ready for stitching the next two

At the end of April, I stitched the fabrics for the potholder. I also layered and pin basted the layers together so it was a ready to quilt project.

The pattern came from a 1997 book entitled 101 Patchwork Potholders. Linda Causee wrote the book.  It contained full size templates as the method to cut the block shapes. I used the Essential Triangle tool and strips to cut the shapes I needed. Using strips and rotary cutting simplified the cutting process.

For the most part, the shapes were the correct size or were easily trimmed to the correct size! I was pleased with the end result after stitching the potholder top.

Second potholder pieces ready to stitch

I decided not to put the scraps away; but, to cut fabrics for the other two pot holders. For the neutral, I used some of the leftover red that was in my daughter's "Leaves" quilt.

For one of the potholder backings, I used the orange backing fabric in my daughter's "Leaves" quilt. I liked laying out the fabric pieces as per the pattern. It gives me a sneak peak of how the pieces are going to look when they are stitched together.

Fabrics that remained

I added a fabric loop to each pot holder using an inch and a half strip with the edges folded in and then folded in half and stitched. The loop makes it possible to hang the potholder on a hook in the kitchen. I remember that my grandmother and my great grandmother each had a hook for their potholder. I will likely give these away as gifts over the next year.

Back of potholders

When I finished, I had little fabric remaining!  There isn't enough of the print to make into another potholder. I put the red fabric in the "Unity" project.  The green, I added to my "Good Fortune" project. The print went in my scrap saving system!

I've included a photo of the back of the potholders. I used a tan three ply 50 weight cotton thread for the tan background potholder. I used a two ply green 50 weight for the other two potholders. I free motion quilted in the ditch.

I used about three eighths of a yard of fabric to stitch these three potholders. I have now used 34 yards of fabric from my stash this year. This is my fifth finish for the quarter and goal number seven on my Finish A Long list. I've posted this finish on Instagram #2020falq2finish

There are a couple more sets of fabrics in the shoe box so there will be future potholders; but, for next quarter!

Finished potholders