Rather than leaving it till the last moment as in previous years, I got started on my Mother's Day sewing last weekend. I quite enjoy small sewing projects (although I have discovered that small project doesn't mean quick and easy).
For the oven mitt I have used an oven mitt template from the book Quilts by Denyse Schmidt. I have made numerous projects from this book and found that again the instructions for this pattern -the Too Hot to Handle Oven Mitt - were well written and sufficiently detailed to complete the project successfully.
I did make a few minor alterations to the oven mitt pattern including patchwork piecing the lower end of the mitt, adding a layer of Insul-Bright (in addition to the layer of batting) and finishing the edge with bias binding.
To complete the project and to make a functional - two piece - set I also made a potholder, again using Insul-Bright for insulation from heat as well as a layer of batting. The four layers made for bulky basting and quilting. I pin basted the layers with just a few pins around the edges which seems to have been sufficient, and then quilted with closely spaced lines.
For the quilting I used a 90/14 size needle although if I'd had on hand a heavier needle I would have used it. I increased stitch length to 4.5 as well as increased the presser foot pressure significantly to help assist with moving the bulky layers evenly through the machine.
I made my own bias binding by cutting off-grain strips of fabric 2.25 inches wide, a standard width which I also use for my quilt binding. Trimming the potholder's corners to a smooth curve (for which I used a dinner plate) was my challenge task in this project. Not so much the trimming, but binding the curves. The bias binding proved to be really easy to use and hugged the curved edge beautifully, the extra bias stretch allowed for the fabric to ease in and out of the curve with a smooth and even overall result.
Whilst I hand stitched the binding on the inside of the oven mitt I machine stitch the binding for the potholder. I found it useful to glue down the back of the binding before machine stitching with a Sewline Fabric Glue Pen; another first.
A Few Fabric Details:
- Robert Kaufman Essex Yarn Dyed in Flax
- Flower Sugar by Lecien - backing and oven mitt lining fabric
- Lecien Dot in Mint for binding fabric
- Briar Rose by Heather Ross for Windham Fabrics.
Are you crafting for Mother's Day?
Rita
Note: Briar Rose 5 inch square fabric samples were supplied without obligation by Windham Fabrics. The images, text and opinions expressed are however my own.
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