DIY Round Polka Dot Pot Holder with Heat Shield

My Mom and I have been collecting vintage Pyrex together for years, but we never saw eye to eye on the clear Pyrex flameware: clear glass pots, double boilers, coffee makers, tea kettles, etc.  I thought they were boring, but my Mom discovered that they work really well with glass top stoves because their bottoms are really flat.  When my Mom got her glass top stove, I was moving out so she gave me some of her wibbly wobbly pots and pans and started collecting flameware.  Fast forward three ovens, and many years later, and now I have a glass top stove too!  I curse her hand-me-down pots every time I use one - and now I see the appeal of Pyrex flameware.

(The photos below are from Pyrex: The Unauthorized Collector's Guide, by Barbara Mauzy).

So far, the only flameware I actually have is the tea pot/kettle, which is genius!

Boil the water and steep the tea in the same beautiful vessel - perfect for a small kitchen like mine because I no longer need a separate tea pot.  Plus the glass pot looks so pretty sitting on the stove.

The only downside is that the glass lid gets really hot, so I wanted a little aqua pot holder to use with my tea pot.  My Mom and I whipped one up, using leftover fabric from the polka dot laundry room curtains.



Isn't it adorable?  I wanted a round shape to complement the polka dot fabric, and a small loop so I could hang it up beside the stove.

It was a breeze to make and required only a few supplies:

• Cotton fabric (this one is kind of similar)
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Ribbon or twill tape for loop
• Heat shield fabric (also called heat reflective fabric or poly-therm fleece)
• Scissors
• Paper for circle templace
• Round object to trace (like a plate)

Steps:

First we used a round plate - slightly larger than the size I wanted the finished pot holder to be - and traced it onto graph paper to use as a template.

We pinned our template onto the fabric and cut out three pieces: two circles from the polka dot fabric, and one circle from the heat shield fabric.

With the circles cut, we cut out a piece of twill tape for the loop.

Then we pinned the three circles together.  Because the fabric is reversible - and I wanted one side cream on aqua and the other side aqua on cream - we pinned them together so the "right" sides were facing each other, and the heat shield fabric was on the bottom.  Here's a peek at the order:

We tucked the loop between the two fabric circles, facing away from the edge.  We sewed the edges with the machine, leaving an opening to turn everything right side out.

To make the curved shape easier to flip, we cut little notches around the circumference.

We turned it right side out and then sewed shut the small opening.

And, voila, a perfectly-sized pot holder to solve my oddly specific kitchen dilemma:

(I've been itching to make one of these since we made those adorable, child-sized pot holders and itty bitty tea towels for the play kitchen we made.)

DIY Mini Pot Holder

Yesterday you caught a peak of the wee little pot holder my Mom and I made for the in-progress play kitchen and here's the how-to.  I love that this project used leftover batting from when I upholstered the kitchen chairs.  I'm so happy I saved the scraps like a mad hoarder.

Steps to pot holder goodness:

1. Cut out a rectangle of fabric, about twice the size you'd like your finished pot holder to be.  Fold the fabric in half, with the right sides facing each other (basically, inside out).
2. Cut out a piece of batting slightly smaller and place on top of your folder fabric.
3. Sew the batting to both layers of fabric, leaving one end open (so you can turn it right side out again).
4. Then trim the corners.

5. Flip your fabric inside out, so the batting is now on the inside, and neatly fold the edges of the opening.
6. Make a loop for the trivet from a folded and sewn strip of fabric (or you could use ribbon).
7. Pin the pot holder closed, pinning the fabric loop in place.
8. Sew the opening closed.

Then you can sew a decorative square, or trace the pattern with stitches - any quilty-ness you prefer - to help keep the batting in place.  You can also add trim or other decorative details.  When you're done, you have a little pot holder like this:

And, of course, you can use this same technique to make a full-scale one for yourself.  But it won't be as cute! 

Edit: If you do make this for oven use, use thicker batting (or a double layer) encased in a special heat shield fabric (your printed fabric will hide the heat shield).  Your local fabric store can help pick the right heat shield.  The thickness we used is great for hot casserole dishes (my grandma keeps a pot holder on the table when passing around dishes during dinner) but for removing something from an oven, you will need the heat shield for safety.  Thanks Carol for prompting me to clarify this important safety matter! 

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