Sewing gifts for the holidays is fun, and these simple-to-make pot holders or hot pads make great gifts, or something new for your own kitchen. Using the classic Churn Dash quit block and some Christmas themed fabrics, I’ll show you how to sew a quick patchwork and then make a functional and pretty pot holder for holiday cooking. Make more with everyday prints for workhorse duty throughout the year.

The free pot holder pattern in this quilt tutorial will be 8-inch square finished, an ideal size for most hands and pots in the kitchen. You’ll learn how to make the churn dash quilt block, how to add quilt binding to the hot pad and you’ll discover a brand new MadamSew quilt ruler!

Prepare your sewing area with your equipment:

• • Sewing machine, with your MadamSew Ultimate Presser Foot Set, Thread,
  • Needles,
  • Straight Pins (Glass head pins preferred),
  • Thread snips,
  • Rotary Cutter 45mm,
  • cutting ruler and mat,
  • safety gloves,
  • optional ruler grip,
  • Iron and ironing board,
  • Wool Pressing Mat

You need four to five layers - your focus patchwork for the top, one to two layers of regular cotton batting, one layer of Insulbrite or similar heat resistant batting, and a bottom layer of fabric. The bottom can be heat resistant fabric if you wish, but a plain cotton works fine.

• • Two 3-1/2-inch squares
  • Four 1-3/4 x 3-inch rectangles
  • One 8-inch square (or substitute heat resistant fabric)

• • Two 3-1/2-inch squares
  • Four 1-3/4 x 3-inch rectangles
  • One 3-inch square

• • One (or two) 8-inch squares all cotton batting
  • One 8-inch square insulated heat resistant batting (such as Insulbrite)

Place the background 3-1/2-inch squares wrong side up on your work table. Using the MadamSew 1/4-inch patchwork ruler, place the line in the middle of the ruler on opposite corners, and mark a sewing line on both sides of the ruler. Placing the ruler horizontal to you makes it easier to mark both lines at once.

Pair the marked background 3-1/2-inch squares with the focus fabric 3-1/2-inch squares, right sides together. Put the #4 open toe foot from the MadamSew Ultimate Presser Foot set on your machine. Sewing on the edge of the line nearest the center gives a more accurate half-square triangle unit.

Chain piece by setting up all your squares, then running them one after another through the machine. The chain makes sewing the seam on the other side really easy as they are all together. Just turn the chain around and sew 1/4 inch away from the other side of the line.

Cut the pieces apart from each other, then cut on the drawn line to yield two HST units from each unit.

Change the foot to the #17 Quarter Inch Quilting Foot. Sew the color and background 1-3/4 x 3-inch rectangles together in pairs.

Press both units toward the darker of the fabrics.

Square HST units to 3-inches square.

Assemble the block by following the photo below. Place the HSTs in the corners, the bars between on the top and sides, and the background square in the center. Be sure the color part of the bars and HSTs are towards the center.

Sew your block in rows. Press well.

Now, to assemble the pot holder, take your block and a layer of cotton batting and quilt them together. Quilt with straight lines in the ditch using the open toe foot, or you can sew free motion style using the quilting and darning foot.

Lay your bottom layer on your work table wrong side up. Place the Insulbrite silver side down, then the quilted top right side up. For extra protection, you can add a layer of cotton batting between the backing and the insulating batting.

Run a line of stitching around the edge to keep the layers together.

Make quilt binding as usual, using strips that are 2-1/4-inches wide to make a thinner finish. Here are my quilt binding instructions for this pot holder.

Apply to the back side, beginning on one corner with the raw edge aligned.

Sew around in the usual fashion, mitering the corners, ending at the point where you began. Stop sewing just as you get to the first binding strip. Leave a ‘tail’ about 3 inches long past the edge of the pad.

Turn the binding to the top side, and pin or use clips to hold in place.

Fold the end of the binding over the beginning, covering the raw edges.

Stitch the binding down on the top, starting on the ‘tail’, and continuing around the pad, mitering the corners as you go.

Finish by folding the raw edges under on the end of the loop, and then fold back, creating a loop and stitch down. You see, sewing quilt binding is not that hard!

These make a nice hostess gift for your holiday hostess. Do them up in kitchen colors for holiday gifts that will be used and appreciated year round.

Hope you liked this potholder quilt project and maybe use it for one of your Christmas sewing projects.

Download the PDF and print this free quilting tutorial for a churn dash pot holder, by following this link.

Have fun making gifts this year!

Carole

Quilting Basics, Tools and A Simple Block
Making Half Square Triangles
Sewing Flying Geese
Choosing Colors and Prints
Choosing Batting
Making and Adding Sashing
Planning Borders
Adding Borders
Finishing Quilts with Binding
Choosing Threads
Paper Piecing Basics
Making and Using Piping
How to Stipple Quilt
Pressing Principles
Web Method Quilt Assembly
No Waste Flying Geese with Placemat Project
How to Add a Hanging Sleeve to a Quilt
Choosing a Rotary Cutter Size

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