For the Kitchen: Potholders and Oven Mitts

Family legend has it that there came a point each evening when my grandmother declared to her family of nine that the kitchen was officially closed.  No more snacks, no second helpings or final cookies.  I can almost imagine a neon sign,  "Barb's Kitchen", flickering a few times before going dark.

While I only have five mouths to feed (Iris is still on the all-mom-buffet), I do know the feeling of having a kitchen that is perpetually open.  Yet, considering the amount of time I spend in this bustling place, it's seriously lacking in the handmade department.  I figured if this was true of my kitchen, perhaps the kitchens of some of my friends and family members could use some love in handmade form as well.

So, I set out to remedy this, if just a little, with my Christmas gifts this year- a rectangular oven mitt and potholder with a pocket.  (After polling a few people, it turns out that the pocket is super important.  Who knew?)

I found the tutorial for the oven mitt here.  I love the versatility of this mitt, which could easily double as a trivet or handle cover for a hot pot.  It's simple to make and comes together quickly.

I altered the directions of the tutorial just a bit.  I sewed together the three sides (two long and one short) of the exterior fabric + batting.  Then I sewed together the three sides of the lining fabrics.  I turned the exterior fabric right side out and the interior lining wrong side out.  Next I stuffed the lining inside the exterior fabric and battling, wrong sides together.   I pushed the lining up until the corners met the corners of the exterior fabric.  I trimmed off the excess lining fabric, and basted around the entire open edge.  I finished it with bias binding.

For the potholders, I combined these two tutorials.  I'd highly recommended basting around the edges of the potholder and pocket before quilting them.  This results in less shifting of the fabric. 

Now if only I had a neon sign...