Binderless Potholder Tutorial

Today I am going to teach you how to make a binderless potholder.

 I made these potholders with Christmas-themed prints. Choose colors you like. Each potholder needs six 8"-square pieces of fabric and one 8"-square piece of batting. I also added loops. To do this I took a length of 1"-wide fabric, pressed it in half and pressed under raw edges.

 I sewed this strip and then cut 3" sections to make loops.

To make the potholder, first take one square of fabric and place right-side down.

Put a square of batting onto the first piece of fabric.

 Put a piece of fabric over batting, right-side up.

 Take four squares of fabric and press them in half.

To finish compiling the potholder, start with one of pressed halves. Line its three rough edges up with the top and two sides of your stack (pressed edge to center of potholder).

Pivot to the left. Overlapping the first half-piece, place your next pressed piece matching rough edges on long edge and two sides.

 Pivot and place your third pressed piece the same way.

Before placing fourth pressed piece, fold the first pressed piece to the side.

 Place fourth pressed piece, lining up rough edges.

Unfold the first pressed piece back down to cover half of the fourth pressed piece.

For a potholder loop, pull back one corner (to between layer 3 and the first pressed half piece) and put loop to the inside; pin the loop corner first, then the other corners as well.

 Sew using a 1/2" seam allowance. Do not sew to rough edges -- sew to 1/2" from the edge.

With needle down, raise the lever to release the fabric, pivot, and sew to next edge.

When done, remove from machine. (Notice sewing does not go to the edge at any point.

 Trim the corners fairly close, and trim edges to 1/4".

Next you turn the potholder right-side out. I tried to do a video to demonstrate, but it didn't turn out. Basically you go through the hole in the center and pull the inside to the outside one corner at a time.

I was working on seven today.

 I turned them all right-side out and then pressed.

 

 So that's my tutorial. Let me know what you think.