Thursday, July 08, 2010

upcycled pot holder tutorial

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While I do TONS of cooking, it dawned on me over the weekend that the only pot holder we have in the house is a tacky snowman pot holder! I decided this was unacceptable and I had to fix the problem immediately. So I set out to create a cute and unique set of pot holders made from things I had on hand.


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After looking through my fabric scraps and the "donate pile", I though the best upcycled material to use for my pot holders was an old pair of jeans- I wanted to use the color blue, the denim is nice and thick and I didn't have to break into any of my new fabric or canvas- which is reserved for more important projects right now!


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I started by cutting out squares for the front and back and I made sure to hold onto the pockets to use on one side to slip my hands into.


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I also used some scraps of white fabric and painted polka dots and stripes with yellow dye-I love pairing blue and yellow together :)

If you are not up for creating your own fabric with paint or dye- cut up an old shirt, table cloth, sheet or dig through your scrap fabric pile to keep from spending $$


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The inside of the front pockets of my jeans had really cute floral fabric so I utilized the fabric and cut out circles. I layered the floral circles on top of the yellow polka dots.


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I stacked everything on top of a piece of batting and stitched the surface with lots and lots of circles.


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I added more stitching with turquoise thread.


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I added another piece of batting to the back of the denim square and then sewed the polka dot fabric to the denim square.


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And I added straight stitches along the sides of square.


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I set aside the front squares of the pot holder and got to work on the back squares.


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I didn't want the pockets to look so much like pockets of jeans so I used some of the striped fabric and a few extra blue strips to make a little patch (in the shape of the pocket) to cover the top of the denim pocket.
I stacked everything on top of batting...


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and sewed the strips down with lots of stitches.


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After the patches were finished, I stitched them by hand onto the top of the denim pocket.


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The last step was to sew the front and back together.
I added another piece of batting in between the two sides and sewed them together.

optional- add a loop for hanging


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And there you have it- one of a kind pot holders with no money spent!


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43 comments:

Lorie said...

Those are brilliant! I am going to feature these on my blog!!

AlexM said...

The idea of using the pocket of trousers to handle the potholder is genius! love the colors you chose.

Unknown said...

what a really fantastic idea of using fabric scraps and textile colours!!

thanks for this tutorial...looks so great.

doro.

Kinà said...

Lovely!! Thanks for this clear and easy tutorial..i love the way you paint fabrics, is unique! A big hug from Italy, Francesca-kinà

Janelle said...

Hi Alisa
Love your pot holders! My favourite colour combination is also blue and yellow, and I also love the whole using what you've got on hand, so I think they are fantastic!

Sarah Shona said...

THIS IS SOOOO COOL!! Thanks for sharing (with lots of pictures). I will start making a pair of those as soon as my kids are napping!!

Diane said...

Absolutely awesome.
Love the colour combo.

whyducks said...

you are so full of wonderful ideas

Rebecca Anthony said...

You're a genius!! What a great idea and they look incredible!!

Cristi Baxter Clothier said...

Pure genius! Love these!

jgr said...

Those are SO cool!

Caralulù said...

Tanks for this tutorial! You wonderful!! I'm an italian girl I'm Lulù Kiss!!!

Sheila said...

Love this tutorial. Looks brilliant. Thanks so much for sharing - I really appreciate your generousity in all you share
thanks

Kellininaperkins said...

So cute Alisa. Love them!

Andrea Bustelo said...

Preciosos!!

M'Lynn said...

This will definitely be my weekend project! Thanks for all your inspiration!

Joan said...

Love this!

Tracey said...

You are so clever! I have a large storage container full of jeans...I guess I know what I will be making with them. I would have never thought of using the pockets for your hands! Thanks for sharing!

Tanya said...

wicked cool! thanks for sharing!

martha brown said...

I LOVE these, Alisa! I think that you need to make more to sell :)Yes, I'm that lazy.....

jane eileen said...

Genius. Gorgeous.

Kathryn Hansen said...

i love those potholders...fabulous idea!

Janie Husband said...

soooo awesome..........

Drangulije said...

wao! I like this idea.

~ Regan said...

Very cute! I really like the colors- I wouldn't have thought to paint the fabric- it turned out great!

Sharon said...

What kind of dye do you use?

Anonymous said...

Very nice! I just moved into a new house and i cook a lot more than i used to. i noticed the other day that we have no potholders and was thinking of where i could find cheap stylish ones...i guess you solved my dilemma!

I'm curious...are the pockets actually big enough to not burn any part of your hands?

Effie said...

Fantastic idea!....

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

These are the most beautiful pot holders ever Alisa- I love them! Thanks so much, I'll be linking.

Emily said...

Wow- these are amazing- I love the use of the turquoise thread and that you even utilized the pocket fabric of the jeans! Great tutorial:)

Jodi Ohl said...

You have the best projects!! Definitely brilliant :)))

Donna Sangwn said...

Gorgeous upcycing of old jeans! May have to try my hand at making these!

Anonymous said...

This really is a great idea and I definately will have a go at them! Greetings from Germany

ccbook said...

I absolutely adore you Alisa! I found your site about two months ago and am totally in love with your projects. I'm a "hate-to-waste-anything-gal" and I have a big pile of old clothes and jeans (to battered to be donated) that needed a second life. I just knew someone would come along and show me what to do. :) Thanks!

creativejewishmom/Sara said...

Hi Alisa, You've really inspired me to make sewing a part of my crafty existence! I just love this and am linking to it on my Craft Schooling Sunday blog linking party, I hope that's okay! all the very best, and thanks for sharing!

*jean* said...

most excellent idea! i might have to do that today because my potholders are really old and really fugli...love that you are using up old jeans...

Gabrielle @ i.craft said...

These are wonderful. I make potholders all the time from odd things but this is brilliant!!

Rosi Jo' said...

Oh Yes! You know how means redefine creativity!
Good taste, harmony and creativity permeate your creations!
Kiss, Rosi!

Amy said...

the potholders are just gorgeous!

M'Lynn said...

I LOVE these potholders and tried them out myself...although they didn't quite turn out as good as yours, they have some meaning!

http://mlynnandjustin.blogspot.com/2010/08/death-of-blue-jeans.html

anna bello said...

Splendidi colori, dipinti per cucina!!!
Meravigliosi...farò un guantone da cucina.
Anna

shop tienda erotica said...

Quite worthwhile data, thanks for your post.

Anonymous said...

Those are so pretty! Just looking at them makes me happy. I rarely comment on blogs, but I really felt the need to tell you how much I love these potholders! Thanks for the tutorial. :)

-Robin

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