Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Holiday Hip Hot Pad



From here until the first of January, it's a social season. There are invitations to gatherings, parties, and the occasional unexpected company shows up at our doors. There are frequently times when we should be showing up with 'something', and my head goes blank when I'm pushed for a last minute idea. I've been racking my brain for homemade hostess gifts I can make and take, and I always think about what I would want to receive myself. There are the typical things like wine or a small plant, etc., but it seems at the holidays that people bring holiday-themed gifts. I would bet that each one of us here has a little different decorating style for our holidays, and I'm trying to find something that all of us can use, and hopefully appreciate.


I like things that are fun for the season, and if they happen to stick around into January, I don't mind still seeing them. So, subtle holiday themes make me happy, and I'll bet for you, too. 

One easy gift that's appreciated is a quilted hot pad. It's essentially a very small quilt, and fun to make because of the size. You can practice a special new block, or sneak by with a simple 9 patch like I did here.

Here's the back of the extra large hot pad before it was trimmed down. It's a Robert Kauffman fabric from the holiday line. The birds are partridges, as in a pear tree.



I started with two 2 1/2" strips. Sew a 15" strip together, and cut apart to six 2 1/2" doubles.



You will have enough to do the top two rows of one block with yellow corners, and one with white. You will need to make up the last row of each with individual blocks cut from your remaining strip. 

*You're probably wondering why I didn't make the 15" strip long enough to cut at least 2 of the 3 squares needed to finish out the last row of the block. I don't know why, but whenever I do that, my points aren't very nice. So, I piece the last three squares of the block individually, and enjoy the nice points.


Sew your 9 square block together. I added a 2 1/2" border of the stripey Christmas fabric around it, too. A batting scrap is handy here, and a cute backing fabric. I used 505 Adhesive to hold it together.


I used a variegated thread, and machine quilted it in just a few minutes.



Bind it just as you would a regular quilt. I machine stitch to the backing, mitering the corners. Bring the binding around to the front, pin, and machine sew. It's a smooth look, and more stable than hand sewing for items needing frequent laundering.
If you want to add a loop, sew a piece of your binding shut lengthwise creating a loop. Pin in place before you attach the binding. It will lean toward the backing, as shown.


Pin the loop up toward the corner, and sew across to secure it.



That's it. It took about an hour, and I have a unique gift to share during the holidays. 
One down, but this was fun so there will be a few more.

Come on, Doxie Girls.
Let's take a few minutes for a cup of coffee, and...
I'll get you each a biscuit!

*Reminder for locals: Meet-up at Jo-Ann's is tonight from 6-8:30 in the classroom at the New Philadelphia store. All are welcome. RSVP if possible to juliebehappy1@gmail.com.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Love the hot pad idea. I have made them in the past as gifts....but usually only machine stitched a giant X from the 4 corners. The idea of practicing a free motion theme here is good. I must simply 'just do it'.....Love the fabrics too!

Julie said...

Thank you, Irene. It occurred to me that I should have specified all cotton batting, or heat resistant batting to be used in the project. Polyester would have a melt down! Any time you want help to start machine quilting, just give me a holler--or you can call, too. You will love what you can do.