Hot Potholder Tutorial & A Fabric Giveaway!

Ok, so we just saw how Insul-Fleece keeps thinks cool with the Chic Lunch Sac, now today's project shows how to use it for the hot stuff.   Now I know this isn't the most original, but it is something we all use, the good old potholder.  This item has been on my to-do list for ages, but kept getting pushed back by more creative projects.  So can you guess what kind of potholder I've been using for the past year?

The one that had a giant blue Christmas snowman on it, random food stains and a burned off corner from where it caught fire at one point (don't even ask how).  Ridiculous, I know.  But besides just procrastinating, I knew that I wanted the ones I made to really hold the heat back.  Enter Insul-Fleece!

What you'll need:

- fat quarter or 1/4 yd Cute cotton fabric

- 1/4 yd Insul-Fleece

- 1/4 yd Cotton Batting

- 1 package of double fold bias tape
- Sewing notions (thread, rotary cutter/scissors, ruler, tailor's chalk or sewing marking pen)

Decide what dimensions you want (I traced my bogus snowman one which had rounded corners) and cut out 2 of each fabric per potholder: 

Stack the pieces like a sandwich so the cotton prints are the outer pieces, the batting is directly under those and the Insul-Fleece is in the center like this:

Now for a little quilted action, measure and draw lines with your marking pen diagonally across the potholder, 1.25 inches apart:

Stitch over the lines:

Now start stitching on your bias tape in the middle of the top side.  Since all the layers make it pretty thick, it's easier to hold the bias tape on with your hand as you go instead of using pins.  Once you've gotten all the way around to meet the starting end, make a loop (approx. 2 inches), cut your bias tape and then stitch the end down to make some hot little numbers like these:

Now onto our hot giveaway - some fab fabric!  A while back I discovered PET fabric (most commonly used for reusable bags & made from recycled pop/water bottles) and made these shopping bags:

This fabric is ideal because:

• It holds it's shape without needing interfacing
• Lightweight, but strong
• Doesn't fray

I'm looking for more great uses for this material & want you to try it out too.  

So here's your chance to win a fat quarter of each of these cherry & damask prints!

To get your first entry: Leave a comment telling me what you would make with this fabric

Additional entries (leave a separate comment for each one): 

- An additional project idea using this fabric

- Become a follower of Sew Can Do

- Add the CraftShare button to your blog

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. The giveaway will be open until 11:59pm EST June 13, 2010.  I'll announce the winner on June 15th.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!