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Enjoy your stay under the variable skies of Eastern Washington and watch the seasons change, from planting to harvest here on the farm...be sure to wrap up in a quilt during the winter, it's cold!!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Microwave Plate Potholder Tutorial



Are you interested in making some of these:

If so, this is my first tutorial and this is what I made!
I love leftovers because I can just nuke them and have more time for quilting!  But I really hate burning my fingers or my lap (sometimes you just have to sit in the recliner and eat, right?) with a hot plate, so I figured out how to make these plate potholders!
You will need:
Fabric – my Dad’s plates are 10.25” in diameter and I cut the fabric 14” square and you need 2 per potholder
Batting – I used this Wrap and Zap that I bought at Joann’s that I cut 13” square.  You need two of these too!  Until we put them together, you do the same thing to both “sandwiches”!!

Walking foot for your sewing machine – you will be sewing through 2 layers of batting and 4 layers of fabric!
Pins, rulers, turning tool and thread…you know you always need those!!
Something to mark sewing lines on the batting – I used Expo’s Vis-à-Vis Wet Erase that will disappear when I wash the pot holder, but I really don’t care because I use darker fabric (light shows messes too easily) – you just don’t want something that will bleed or show through your fabric.
On my square of batting, I drew a line from corner to corner and then from the center of each side so I had a lovely pinwheel that looked like this:
The cute little triangles are made by measuring in from the side 2” and measuring 1” from that center line…then draw a line to connect the dots.
Place your fabric pretty side down and put a piece of your marked batting on top of it.  I eye-ball placement about ½” from the edge of the fabric when placing the batting down.  I put pins in the large triangles for stability and sew on the long lines from corner to corner and side to side.
(Sorry, I had forgotten to mark where the darts will be made on this – no worries, you can do it after you sew all 4 lines.)  It is easy to chain sew these.
When all four lines are sewn, fold the right sides of the sandwich together on one of your side to side lines – time to make the darts!
I put the pins on the side that will be on top when I put it through my sewing machine so I can easily remove it.
Chain sew those darts, right on the line!  You can come at the dart from either side.  Sometimes it is easier to sew it from the point.  Both ways work!  When all four darts are sewn, it will look like this:
Time to trim off the darts – they would make it much too thick!!
There is about ¼” left on there…perfect!  Time to nest the two sides.  One side has the batting side up, the other side has the pretty side up – nest them together with pretty side to pretty side!

You are going to “nest” the seams from the darts.  I have the top seam facing left, so that when I run it through the sewing machine the seam I can’t see will be facing me and I can make the top seam face away from me.  I pin on the corner lines and on each dart.  I start sewing on one of the dart seams, using the edge of the batting to determine my seam allowance – I shoot for ½”!
Do lock or back stitch there – we will be leaving that half of that side open so we can turn the right side out.  Sew all the way around to the point on the same side you started on, leaving that ½ a side unsewn, do a lock or back stitch there as well.  Take it off your machine, snip those threads and stick your hand in the hole to grab the opposite corner and pull it through the hole.  Grab something you can poke those corners out with.
This great tool was made for me by a quilting friend’s husband in Florida – thank you, Jim!!!
When you have the corners poked out so they are as square as possible, fold the edges of the hole over each side’s batting (you don’t want the batting to be visible) and pin.
Start sewing about ¼” from the edge of the potholder…don’t start in a corner or where there is a seam or you run the risk of a lovely mess of thread on the bobbin side (ask me how I know!).  The corners and where the darts are, well, are thick!
Smooth from where you start to the dart seam, sew to there then turn your potholder so the sewing line to the corner will be straight and smooth that out.  I do a lock stitch at the beginning and end of this sewing line.
I also do a square of sewing in the middle, about 2” from the center.  I don’t measure, I just guess!  I do stay away from the darts.
And you are finished!
This stack is 2 bowl and 2 plate potholders I made.  If you make them, please let me know because I want to see them!!  If I made a mistake or something wasn't clear, please let me know as well!!
Have a fabulous, healthy and blessed new year!!

I am joining with Jenny of ELEFANTZ and her 

 


Since I don't know how to put "buttons" or whatever on my blog (yeah, I've tried, just end up wanting to throw the computer out the window), I'm just going to put the link here.


20 comments:

Sandy said...

Awesome!!! Will be making some of these too!!! Finished about 10 bowls, gave some to each of my kids for Christmas!!! Thanks for writing up the tutorial!!!

Jeanie said...

Nice tutorial! I certainly eat a lot of meals on the couch and usually put my hot plate on top of a cold plate... it works but becomes heavy. Never heard of Wrap-N-Zap... thanks for the tip. Happy New Year to you!

Susie said...

A great Tutorial and easy to follow, they are on my ever growing list of projects I want to make. Thanks. Happy New Year, Hugs, Susie x

StitchinByTheLake said...

I love these as much as the bowl ones! blessings, marlene

QuilterinMotion said...

Susan, I haven't tried this yet but am I right that you are doing the same process as the bowls just making the square 3 3/4" larger than the diameter of the plate versus same size as the diameter of a bowl? I'm afraid I might have missed something don't want that to happen! This is a great idea.

Alli Smith said...

What a great idea! When it's just the hubs and me, we rarely eat in the dining room. These would be wonderful. Now, if only I could sew. :)

Helena said...

How cool! Thanks for sharing this!

simply-mode.com

Podunk Pretties said...

Excellent tutorial for these bowls! Thanks for sharing on Podunk Pickins, good luck in the giveaway!

Viking Quilter said...

May I have permission to use your tutorial to teach this microwave bowl pot holder at our Quilt Camp in Palmer, Alaska. I would need to make 36 copies of the pattern.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kathy Buirge
Valley Quilters Guild
Palmer, Alaska

Unknown said...

What a great idea. I am going to make this using a heat resistant batting. We call it heatex. I have also changed your measements into the metric system as that is what we use here. Do you place the bowl into the holder then heat it up ?

Pat G. said...

Use that batting only if the heat resistant batting has no metal fibers in it. Some does. Metal not good in microwave.

Helen said...

Funny… I guess those microwave quilted bowl things have “swept the nation”. My sister has a women’s quilting retreat in Texas. When I was there couple of years ago, a group of quilters was there making these. (Maybe they were using your tutorial! Now wouldn’t that be a small world thing!)

Tamie said...

Thanks for the tutorial. I made both for gifting, my family and friends love them. However, the batting will have to be 100% cotton or it will catch on fire in the microwave, I even used all cotton thread.

Unknown said...

you need to use wrap n zap to create these items. Walmart has everyday price of 4.99, happy sewing

Sophie Dawson said...

I plan on making a bunch to give away. Instead of batting I’ll use old terry cloth towels. I made potholder and used 2 layers. Worked so well. Not I don’t feel guilty about buying new ones.

Frannie said...

I have made over 200 of the bowl buddies, but never thought of plate buddies. I use only 100%cotton fabric and thread. Anything with polyester in it could catch on fire.

Marge Platt said...

Could you please say more about the darts? how long, how wide, the placement of them? I cant find a pattern on your blog for them? Thank you.

BTC said...

I want to make some of these but I don't have a walking foot. I have a basic Singer Fashion Mate 5560 and can't seem to find out whether there is a compatible walking foot. Do you know if there is?

PinkGranny said...

I made one of these last night and it was a disaster and made me think I have lost my sewing touch! The directions for the one I made were sketchy. I like the way you show how and where you measured your darts. I am going to give it another try. It should have been an easy project, just like the bowl cozy. I thought these would be great for Thanksgiving leftovers that we usually reheat by the plates. I am from Eastern Washington too!

Unknown said...

You did a great job with your tutorial, very clear, easy to read and follow. Thank you, I sure will make some plate holders.