Tutorial: Simple Pot Holder

Featured fabric: Pink Big Cat by Robert Kaufman

Purchased from:

The baby is down for a nap and its raining outside. So, that means what better thing to do than make some sassy new pot holders for Momma's kitchen! Here's a very simple step-by-step tutorial that should take anywhere from 1-2 hours, depending on how detailed you go with your quilting.

2 - 8" x 8" square each of 

main fabric (I like cotton), lining fabric (I use bottom weight cotton), cotton batting, Insul-Bright batting

2 - 5" x 8" rectangle each of

main fabric (I like cotton), lining fabric (I use bottom weight cotton), cotton batting, Insul-Bright batting

sewing machine (standard is fine but quilting is better)

cotton thread - polyester might melt in oven

            Layer squares as followed:

main fabric (right side down)

cotton batting

Insul-Bright

cotton batting

lining fabric (right side up)

Pin at least 5 pins on each side. This is very important because they layers are very fluffy and puff up about half an inch. As you begin to quilt, the layers will shift as much as a quarter inch...which we want to avoid.

Quilt your hot pad however you'd like. Start in the middle (if possible) and quilt throughout. Starting in the middle helps keep the fabric from major shifts. Otherwise, start in the middle and stitch a 1/8" allowance around the perimeter.

Then quilt pad as preferred. I made a conch shell look in this one.  (Click to enlarged view.)

Time to add the binding. You can either make your own or purchase some. I'm using 3/8" double fold bias tape.

Be sure to first ad the binding to the top of the pocket (5" x 8" piece). If you have never used pre-cut bias tape before, please refer to the picture to below. You will see that there is one side with a shorter fold (on the right in this picture). It is also (usually) slightly farther from the center crease.

Line the right side of the previously mentioned bias tape face down along the top of the pocket. (See below) When pinning remember that the fabric may have shifted during quilting. So, be sure that all layers get attached to the bias tape. You may need to trim off some of the layers that shifted, so I will need to do as well.

Stitch along the folded crease, which should give you a 1/4" seam allowance.

Once complete, fold over the bias tape with the other crease folded under. Pin down the bias tape to prevent shifting. Be sure that you completely cover the previous stitch line, as you should have used a thread that matches the binding and it will (in this case) clash with the backing. Causing it to be very visible if not covered.

Once pinned, stitch around a 1/8" seam allowance from the edge of the bias tape (where is meets the backing). If done correctly, you will have a stitch line tacking down and staying only on the bias tape on the both sides. (Refer to the picture prior to Step 4.) That is the goal and not to drop below the bias tape on the correct (top) side. Doing this will provide a more professional look. 

The other option is to pull the bias tape tight on the wrong (back) side so that when you do stitch it down nothing goes through the front side of the bias tape. This will cause the center crease to go past the mid-line of the layers (as seen above). Prior to step 4, you will need to press this out with a hot iron. The aim here is really all or nothing. All on or all off the front of the bias tape.

Click to larger view.

Now its time to attach the pocket to the main piece of the hot pad and add binding all the way around. First, pin the pocket in place, making sure that the prints and quilting are facing the correct direction. 

Next, pin down the bias tape onto only one side of the square. Be sure that the same side of the bias tape mentioned in Step 3 is lined up along the edge of the pot holders.

The corners is where things get tricky...if you're new to quilting. Again, staying along the fold crease and about with a seam allowance of 1/4", stitch almost all the way to the bottom. Stop about 1/8" and backstitch one or two stitches.

With the needle down and into the fabric layers, lift your feed dogs and rotate the hot pad 90 degrees. Pull the bias tape slightly so that it is not bunched below the needle. If preferred, pin the bias tape along the new side we're about to stitch. Lower the feed dogs and stitch to the next side, stopping about 1/8" and repeat.

When you get close to the edge we started, fold the beginning of the bias tape so that it lays correctly on the top but does not fold around yet. (See above) Stitch to the end of the side getting as close to the edge as you can without going over. Backstitch for strength. Cut the end of the bias tape so that it extends from the layers. Give yourself some room because we'll be folding it under.

Now its time to fold over and pin! Start at the beginning of the bias tape and work your way around. This time it is important to keep you stitches on the back and front of the bias tape all the way around. Backstitch and go all the way to the end!!

If you were aiming to keep the front side of the bias tape from having stitches on it on the pocket, this will not keep you bias tape down on at the end. So, to stay uniform and consistent, aim to keep the stitches along the bias tape on both sides. 

These days I'm not sure how many people hang either pot holders on display, so a loop is up to you. Then again, depending on your fabric choice, you may want to hang them so everyone can see! 

If that's the case, just take some of you left over bias tape, stitch along the side to keep it together and attach it to the corner you began attaching you bias tape. This will cover that unsightly corner. 

Here's another one I made. Play around with your quilting patterns. This one was supposed to mimic zebra stripes.

Fabric featured: Pink Zebra by Robert Kaufman

Purchased from:

BlogLovin'

Well, I'm on BlogLovin'. It has probably been around for quite some time now, but I'm just coming across it. 

Free Mother's Day Embroidery Design

So, one of my favorite crafting hobbies is machine embroidery. I'm still within my first year of it and LOVE IT! So, I wanted to pass along the tip of a beautiful freebie from my favorite designers, Urban Threads.

Here is the super cool design they are offering for free up until Mother's Day. It is available in machine or hand embroidery formats.

So hurry and go here to download it! 

Pretzel Park

So, what's a couple girls to do when the weather calls for 65 degrees? A walk through Main Street and a pit stop at Pretzel Park, that's what. So, I loaded Eva up and we set off for a 3.78 mile round trip. What a great way to work off the winter pounds!

Pretzel Park is this really cute park nestled on the side of the steep hills of Manayunk in Philadelphia, PA. Created in 1929, it was originally called Manayunk Park. 

It is believed to have been called Pretzel Park by the surrounding neighbors for one of two reasons, the shape of the walking path that around and through it and/or because of a pretzel vendor that used to sell Philly Pretzels there. 

However the case, the city eventually made it official and changed the name to Pretzel Park and in 2005 the statue was put in.

photo sourse: www.manayunkcouncil.org

We Philadelphians sure do love our pretzels. haha

Disney: At What Age Should I Take My Daughter?

photo source: yourfirstvisit.net

So my friends an I are at the age where our firstborns are about 1.5-3 years old. All of the sudden there has been a sudden spike in the number of Facebook friends that have taken their 3 mo to 2 year-olds to Disney world. At close to $100 per adult per day just for the park + airfare + hotel and car, that is a big ticket for a memory a child will never remember. So that got me thinking...

At what age should I take my daughter to Disney world? 

Seasoned mommies, what are your thoughts?

Eva's Milestone: Self-Spoon-Feeding

This was a very exciting milestone for me. Daddy has been working with Eva and helping her learn to self feed with her utencils. She is VERY strong willed about doing it herself. She refuses help from anyone and throws a tantrum if I even get close to touching her or the spoon. Haha

Here's a clip of her in action.

The Final Count Down Begins

Well the countdown is on!

I'm a week away from commencement. This milestone has been 11 years in the making. It's exciting and scary all at the same time. 

I've been two weeks behind the rest of the class for the majority of the class due to working full time. Now that I've been laid off, we can no longer afford daycare. This means my 15 month old daughter is home with me during the day. Anyone with a toddler knows its difficult to do things when them around. She has been getting used to playing by herself, so I have been able to get a little studying done, however, not as much as I would like.  That means every nap time is a serious study session.

Needless to say, I'm SO scared I won't pass even with all the help my professor has given me!!! So, any prayer or positive thoughts sent my way would be graciously accepted. I've been praying a lot more these last few months and God has certainly been shining a little light my way. Now I just have to make it to Tuesday night (exam night).

So, I'm heading back to studying now. Here's a pic of Eva that I took at Temple University's gift shop when I went to pick up my cap and gown.

Have a good one y'all!

Twist and Shout and Let It All Out

Now that summer is upon us and the dreaded bikini season, I have see a resurgence of blog posts and articles about exercise. As a kinesiologist (one whom studies the human body in movement) I must urge you to THINK before YOU DO! 

There are tons and tons of exercises out there. But what many don't realize is that it was terribly important to build your body up to doing the "fun" ones. Here is an example: 

Common name: Russian Twist
Other names: Mason Twist (popular by the Tone It Up Bikini Series program)

How it is done:
There are many variations to accommodate the novice to the expert but the primary steps are here

Who should NOT do this:

• Mommies newly cleared for exercise
• Novice exercises
• Even some intermediate exercisers
• If you don't do REAL core work (aka planks, posture exercises)
• If you have a history of back pain....even minor back pain
• If you have a curved back (i.e. early onset scoliosis, kyphosis or lordosis)

What can happen if you jump into this exercise without building yourself up...a herniated disc.

aka: "ruptured", "bulging", "prolapsed"

Anyone looking to add this to their routines should start with these exercises first:

  

Supermans                               Bird-dogs    

bridge level 1                           bridge level 2   

Then you can begin progressions:

1. standing w/ bands attached to something (doorknob, banister, table leg, etc.)

Here are some pics I found from Exercise-Training-At-Home

2. on exercise ball (2a. no weights, 2b. with weights)

3. on the floor (3a. no weights, 3b. small weights)

Here some other ways to challenge you without weights:

Watch your posture 

If you look like this (with a curved lower back) you're in trouble. If you can't maintain the posture holding in place more than 15 seconds you need to go back to the core exercises I showed above.

 

Poor twist with rounded back (left) vs. Great twist with straight back (right)

Keep in mind there are MANY core and stabilizing exercises out there that can prepare you for the Russian Twist. I merely mentioned three. For more ideas head over to the Exercise Library section of the ACE Fitness website.


Sources: The previous photos have been provided by the Women's Health, The Spine Center at UVA, American Council on Exercise, Fitness-training-at-home.com, www.fitnessconnoisseur.com and Bodybuilding.com.

Disclaimer: The statements mention above have been accumulated over the last ten years on college courses, individual research, and hands on experience in the fitness industry. My words are intended to help guide and protect you from harm and are not the only ways to prepare you for this expert level of exercise. Doing this exercise without proper training ahead of time may not lead to immediate injury and therefore if you choose to perform it you are at your own risk. I assume no responsibility for any possible injury for any of the exercises mentioned above and they should always be attempted in front of a trained professional when done for the first time. If you have any suspicion of having a herniated disc you are urged to seek contact your physician or orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible. Herniated discs can lead to long term pain that can not be helped with medication. 

Save the Date! June 22, 2013

I am SUPER excited to say that I have officially been accepted to the 2013 Manayunk Arts Festival in Manayunk, Pa! This is a huge event. Last year's attendance was estimated at 200-300k people! Wow! Talk about exposure. 

This is the first event I am doing. Luckily, my business partner Brie Messier will be there with me every step of the way. 

Here are a few it pieces that I submitted for jury.

This is my zippered wipes wristlet. I came up with the idea while traveling to Houston, TX by plane with my 30 month old daughter. Of course, she pooped during take off! So, as soon as we were up in the air, still climbing I may add, I had to change her. AND the changing tables are ALWAYS in the front of the plane with flyig Southwest Airlines. A little f.y.i.

I love this one. I fabric is from the Giraffe Love Collection by Michael Miller and the applique from Planet Applique. As you can tell by both pictures. I'm in love with this collection.

Brie and I will also be selling pieces from our other collections: Home and Pet.

So, that means as soon as I'm done with school (May 14th) I'll be sewing like a mad woman. Wish me luck. I'm going to need it. 

And I hope anyone local reading this stops by  and says hi. We'll be in the Emerging Artist tent. You can also look for me in the June/August edition of Manayunk Magazine.