These clever hot pads are the best of both worlds: a 7″ x 9″ insulated rectangle for grab-and-go convenience with a back slip-in pocket for the added agility of an oven mitt. It’s a great vintage-style combo. Plus, you can make our two hot pads from just three fat quarters! Do you love that matching apron in the photo above? It’s also made from completely from fat quarters. Isn’t it fun to mix and match?!
We went minimalist with the photos for this new version of a classic project. It you find yourself getting lost in the instructions, please take a look at the original Oven Mitts tutorial on which this is based.. There are additional photos to help you along, and the assembly between the two projects is virtually identical. The only real difference is our use of packaged binding for today’s version over custom binding in the original. And, we amped up the hanging loop, making it much wider and adding a metal grommet.
For more information about pre-cuts, check out our Lesson in Pre-Cut Fabric Bundles where you can find a full variety of Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls, Honey Buns, and other yummy pre-cuts.
We originally used fabric from the Wee Wovens Brights collection by Moda Fabrics. This is an older collection and so can be difficult to find currently. New collections, and their accompanying pre-cut bundles, are launched each season, so there are always lots of new options to find. You might even already have exactly what you need in your own fabric stash!
Sewing Tools You Need
- Sewing Machine and standard presser foot
- Walking or Even Feed foot – or engage your machine’s built-in fabric feeding system, such as the AcuFeed™ Flex system we use on many of our Janome studio models
Fabric and Other Supplies
As mentioned above, we used three fat quarters to complete TWO hot pads. Traditionally, fat quarters measure 18″ x 22″, however, the Wee Wovens Brights brushed cottons we originally used ran just a bit smaller, approximately 18″ x 21-21½”. Our cuts are adjusted for this sizing. If you choose not to use fat quarters, you’ll need approximate ½ yard cuts from THREE coordinating fabrics to complete a set of two hot pads.
- THREE coordinated prints (fat quarters or ½ yard cuts); we originally used the following:
Wee Bright Windowpane Plaid Aqua for hot pad one front and back
Wee Bright Plaid Red for hot pad two front and back
Wee Bright Stripe Red for the inner front panel of both hot pads and the hanging loops - ½ yard of standard width rick rack; we used red
- One package of Extra Wide Double Fold Bias Tape; we used Wrights brand in red
- ½ yard of 45″ wide insulated fleece: we used Insul-Bright by The Warm Company
- Scraps or ⅛ yard of 20″ lightweight fusible interfacing for the hanging loop; we used Pellon Shir-Tailor
- Two 1 – 1.1 cm metal grommets with a grommet tool; we used a Dritz Home Nickel Plated Grommet Kit
- All purpose thread to coordinate with fabrics
- See-through ruler
- Iron and ironing board
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- Fabric pen or pencil
- Seam gauge
- Seam ripper
- Straight pins
Getting Started
Throughout the tutorial, we refer to the larger piece as the “front” of the hot pad and the shorter piece as the “back/pocket” of the hot pad. Follow the diagrams below to help keep track of which fabrics we are using for each section.
- Download and print TWO EACH of the TWO patterns: Hot Pad Front and Hot Pad Back (Pocket).
IMPORTANT: Each pattern is ONE 8½” x 11″ sheet. You must print the PDF files at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page. There is a guide line on each page so you can confirm your final printout is to scale. - Cut out each pattern along the solid line.
- Find the two Hot Pad Front printouts, flip over one printout so the printed side is facing down. Line up the center line arrows and tape the pattern together to make one complete pattern piece. Repeat with the two Hot Pad Back (Pocket) printouts.
- Square each fat quarter by tugging on the the opposite corners. Then press to hold the shape. When cutting, we used the lines of the plaid and/or check as our guide.
- From the two fat quarters for the front and back (Wee Bright Plaid Red and Wee Bright Windowpane Plaid Aqua in our samples) cut the following:
ONE 8″ wide x 10″ high rectangle from each fat quarter
TWO 8″ x wide x 9″ high rectangles from each fat quarter - From the fat quarter for the inner front panel of both hot pads and the hanging loops (Wee Bright Strip Red in our samples), cut the following:
TWO 8″ wide x 10″ high rectangles
TWO 4″ x 4″ squares - From the insulating fleece, cut the following:
TWO 8″ x 10″ rectangles
TWO 8″ x 9″ rectangles - From the interfacing, cut TWO 3″ x 3″ squares.
- Cut the rick rack into TWO 8″ lengths
At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board
Layering, quilting and cutting the main front and back pieces
- You will first make a quilted block from which you will then use the patterns to cut the final pieces.
- For each hot pad, find an 8″ x 10″ front fabric panel, an 8″ x 10″ inner front fabric panel, and an 8″ x 10″ insulated fleece panel. Layer the insulated fleece between the two pieces of fabric. The fabric should be wrong sides together. Pin at the corners to create a ‘quilt sandwich.’
- Next, for each hot pad, find one 8″ x 9″ back pocket piece and one 8″ x 9″ insulated fleece panel. Layer the insulated fleece and the fabric wrong sides together into a two layer quilt sandwich.
- Straight-line quilt (sometimes called channel quilting) through all the layers of each quilt sandwich. We used the plaid lines of our selected fabric as the spacing guide for our channel quilting, running our quilting lines between the printed lines of the plaid. This gave us lines approximately ⅝” apart. You can do something similar with the motif on your chosen fabric, or you could use a quilting bar to set an even distance, or pre-draw lines to follow with an erasable fabric pen or pencil.
NOTE: We used the awesome Janome AcuFeed Flex™. It is specially designed to work with multiple layers, keeping them all moving together without slipping or sliding. Your machine may have something similar, such as a Walking/Even Feed foot. These are all optional; they simply make the process quicker and more accurate. You can certainly use your regular pressure foot. Just go slowly and carefully, and use a few more pins. - Using the Hot Pad Front and Hot Pad Back (Pocket) patterns you assembled above, center each pattern on its appropriate quilted block and cut out each pattern.
- Use the Hot Pad Back (Pocket) pattern to cut one lining piece from each of two remaining 8″ x 9″ plain back pocket pieces.
- Find the two 8″ lengths of rick rack
- Place a length of rick rack across the straight upper edge of each quilted hot pad back (pocket), following the dashed guide line on the pattern. To double check, the center of the rick rack should be ½” from the raw edge of the mitt. The rick rack is placed on the right side of the fabric.
- Machine baste the rick rack in place.
- Find the non-quilted back (pocket) lining piece. Place the quilted back right side together with the lining, sandwiching the rick rack between the layers.
- Stitch the two layers together along the upper edge. Stitch with the quilting back facing up so you can follow along in the previous rick rack basting seam.
- Press the seam allowance towards the lining.
- Fold the lining back so the rick rack now stands straight up and both the front and the back of the pocket are right sides facing out. Match the curved raw bottom edges edges and lightly pin in place through all the layers. Press.
Create the hanging loop
- Find the 4″ x 4″ fabric squares and the 3″ x 3″ interfacing squares. Center an interfacing square on the wrong side of each fabric square.
- Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing in place.
- Fold each square in half right sides together. Pin in place along the 4″ side and across one end.
- Using a ¼” seam allowance, stitch along the 4″ side and across the one end, pivoting at the corner.
- Clip the corner and turn right side out through the open end. Press flat
- Following manufacturer’s instructions, add a grommet to the finished end (not the raw end) of each loop. The placement for the grommet is ¾” from the center of the grommet’s hole to the finished end.
- Find the two quilted hot pad fronts. Place them on your work surface with the outer front facing up (the non-stripe panels in our samples). Pin the raw end of a loop to the top of each, centering it side to side and with the raw end of the loop flush with the raw edge of the hot pad. Pin in place. Machine or hand baste in place close to the raw edges.
Assemble front to back and bind with hanging loop
- Flip over the hot pad fronts on your work surface so the “inner fronts” are now facing up (the striped panel in our samples). Place a hot pad pocket on top of each with the quilted side facing up. Machine baste the two layers together, staying about ¼” from the raw edge.
- From the bias tape, cut one 36″ length for each hot pad.
- Unfold the bias tape so you can see all the crease lines.
- Flip over the hot pads again so the outer fronts (without pockets) are again facing up.
- Starting at the top, pin an unfolded length of bias tape to each pot holder, right sides together, aligning the raw edge of the slightly wider side of the tape with the raw edges of the hot pad. Pin in place all around.
- Sew all the way around, stitching in the bias tape’s crease line and starting and stopping at the top with a ½” overlap. You will catch the grommet loop as you sew. Trim away the excess bias tape so you have just the ½” overlap.
- Fold the bias tape around to the other side of the hot pad, covering the line of stitching. Pin in place.
- From the pocket side of the hot pad, edgestitch the bias tape, making sure to catch the fold on the underside as you sew.
NOTE: If you’re new to working with bias tape, the number one rule is ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ You’re sewing around a curve, which is trickier than a straight line and are binding several layers. Don’t fear the pin! Use plenty, removing them as you go. For more hints, check out our tutorial:Bias Binding: Figuring Yardage, Cutting, Making, Attaching.
- Also remember, as mentioned above, the original version of this hot pad includes many more photos. The steps are nearly identical with the main variance being the grommeted hanging loop. If you are new on your sewing adventure, it may help you to review both tutorials prior to jumping in.
Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Michele Mishler
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For the straight line quilting, did you use a quilting needle or microtex? I always struggle with which needle type is best as a beginner. I have got my quilt sandwich ready to go. I appreciate all the detail you do provide and would like to see in the description what needle types are used. Thank you!
Hi Barbara – we used a Universal needle throughout the project – starting the new project, as is recommended, with a new needle. We can’t always give specific needle recommendations because the exact fabrics that folks choose to use vary – and the fabric is often the most critical. We do have an article about needle types you can take a look at:
https://sew4home.com/choose-the-right-sewing-machine-needle-for-your-project/