Scraps to Stitches

Too many scraps taking up valuable space in your sewing area?

Older potholders -still looking good but - your 'creative itching' calling for new ones?

Here are some solutions for both problems.

Use your scraps to create new potholders; SCRAPPY was "the thing" back-in-the-day.  Sewers used old clothes, leftover quilt scraps and most any fabric (cottons mostly) that needed repurposing.  In the days before THROW-AWAY became currently popular.  Necessities were common as was 'save and reuse' when possible. Gee...interesting perspective. But I digress...

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAi_SZaF5hk

This example combines a scrappy approach PLUS one of the easiest and cutest forms of quilting I have seen; not sure what its called.  I have done this example and it works!  The 'trick' is to make sure your criss-cross lines are equal and that your positioning of the second/larger square is equally cut  AND equally positioned.  As well - make sure your CUTTING is equal. Gee...EQUAL seeems important here...you bet!

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rhv34-Bre0

Maybe...turn off the sound here...BUT - a great tutorial on a slightly different way to use scraps AND to put these LOVELIES together. No particular way nor particular fabric is ever too 'out there' when it comes to creating the LOWLY POTHOLDER! What a little WONDER it is!

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt8_AQyI_vg

This sewer uses one of my FAV ways to bring a LOWLY potholder to life!  No binding required. Easy to turn inside out!  Sometimes my machine (dependig on WHICH of my workhorses I use for this project), resists the extra thicknesses to make that final around-the-edge and crisscross seams.  Sometimes I skip the crisscross seam and just quilt a big HEART in the middle.  Your creative choice.

AI says ...rememer him? Always in your way anymore while you're typing, surfing, PRIVATELY atempting ANYTHING online.  But I digress.  AGAIN, sorry.

4) Repurpose old clothes into durable potholders by cutting denim, cotton, or wool into 8-inch squares, layering them with heat-resistant materials (like old towels), and sewing them with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Alternatively, cut T-shirts into strips to weave on a loom or create braided, coiled mats.

Alright, he MAY B on point here so.... we'll give Mr. AI - another chance...

Repurpose old potholders by turning them into functional home items like hanging oven towels, pot lids holders, or small storage caddies. They can also be transformed into coasters, small iron pads, or sewn together to create a unique hot pad table runner. 

1. Glasses holder. Let's MAKE It Academy / YouTube. ...
2. Sewing kit cover. Blessings Craft Therapy / YouTube. ...
3. Table runner. Parker on the Porch / YouTube. ...
4. Decorative table centerpiece. ...
5. Cup holder. ...
6. Towel clip. ...
7. Toiletry case. ...
8. Laptop accessory holder

OKAY - ways to REPURPOSE those OLD LOVLIES that have been your "kitchen heros" for too long.  But still - have some life???

5) https://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-make-your-old-and-ugly.html

Don' forget # 4. Turn the potholder cover inside out and you will be left with a nice pocket to insert your old potholder.

To summarize today...

In the sewing room...NOTHING much is restricted to mainstream anything. CREATIVITY is King and your imagination is 'top dog'...incharge. Relax, Let your mind...soul...body... rejuvinate from the stresses of daily STUFF. Leave the phone off and in another room (lest we B possibly tempted to surf...)

Life is a journey: the sewing room is your sidetrip, your retreat. ENJOY!

The Magic of Making!

danielle

Old or New - Happy Birthday

 When did potholders come alive?  Were they always here?  Did the cave people use them over their fires? Probably not, tho surely they used - SOMETHING  to position their 'pots' on and off hot fires? We may never  know. Written history comes a bit after those days, so - lets look into "written history".

According to AI (yet again), what their research shows:

Potholders evolved from essential, handmade, or repurposed fabric scraps used in the early 1800s to protect hands from hot cookware, often featuring embroidery or abolitionist slogans by the mid-19th century. In the 1930s, commercial looms became popular for crafting woven loopers from factory waste, turning them into a common home craft and later a children's toy.

They go on to say...

• Early Origins (1800s): Early, rare examples were often crocheted or embroidered, sometimes used as display items in parlors rather than solely for the kitchen.
• Abolitionist Connections: Mid-1800s, specifically around the Civil War era, some potholders featured embroidered slogans like "Any holder but a Slave Holder," acting as political statements.
• The 1930s Loom Boom: During the Great Depression, commercial, small square, pegged, metal looms were patented to repurpose waste "loopers" from sock factories, allowing housewives to create durable, heat-resistant pot holders.
• Evolution of Materials: While early items were cotton, wool, or scrap fabric, the late 20th century saw the introduction of more synthetic materials, though cotton remains popular.
• Modern Day: Today, potholder weaving is a popular hobby, and these items are often considered a form of folk art, with handmade, quilted, or crocheted versions still highly valued. 
• Lets take a look at WEAVING potholders.

According to KIMBERLY DOMICK, from THE MONROE NEWS...

Fibers from plants and animal fur were being woven into material for clothing and shelter as early as the New Stone Age.

OK...the cave people MAY have made the 'basic potholder' a few years earlier...

She goes on to say that...

...by the mid-1800s in the anti-slavery bazaars of Boston and during the abolitionist movement, the first home-made potholders (as we know them) began to be crafted.

Interesting.

https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/bedford/2018/12/18/cooking-with-kim-story-woven/6611470007//

According to KIMBERlY'S research, woven potholders were some of the first potholders officially on record, using odd pieces of old socks and hosiery. LOOMS were made of varying materials and childen enjoyed this basic WEAVING.  Do you recall making potholders on those cute little looms? I do!  Was such fun! But I digress...

If you care to contact KIMBERLY, here is her email: kbdomick@yahoo.com.

Crispina French has an amazing twist on the potholder loom; his is why I originally used this domain "name", so I could spread out a tad to ideas that sort of - linked to potholders. This certainly does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUEk4Oml9Q8

Though a short video, her idea opens a large area from which a "potholder loom" matures and serves OTHER purposes.  Depending on how much your heart cares about our planet...depending on how crazy you are about weaving...this just might be an avenue to pursue.

But I DO...digress - yet again; you noticed - did you?!

LOOMS! Here are sites where you can obtain potholder looms:

https://www.officesupply.com/craft-supplies/needle-arts/latch-hook-hook/latch-hook-kits/metal-loom-hook/p1316138.html?ref=pla&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=&scid=scplp1316138&sc_intid=1316138&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21717468648&gbraid=0AAAAAD8HNCNICRLzVmJgyJqy8W1blXy37&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnJHMBhDAARIsABr7b866DxlDuacdoLnwQAUL-KKNVdPoQRaUpWl8iYgZQPuxePFlM61ce8saAnq2EALw_wcB

walmart.com/ip/4Pcs-4-Sizes-Wood-Weaving-Loom-Kit-Square-Knitting-Tools-Notched-Basket-Adult-Beginners-Lovers-2-3-4-6-Inch-Beige-DIY/18165217631?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=102947326&adid=2222222222718165217631_102947326_14069003552_202077872&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=pla-2449037643288&wl5=9057181&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=5642426783&wl11=online&wl12=18165217631_102947326&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=202077872&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIqdpRozyLJqB0kgk1WX3WnK3&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnJHMBhDAARIsABr7b84IBZjciLyQLSfeRQ3aq-b1M0rVJEFzAurX2CDlHaXtpONYMD_l6jEaAiqIEALw_wcB

Lastly - even looms to create MUG RUGS.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1221692360/mini-mug-rug-loom-kit-beginner-weaving?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_ps-a-craft_supplies_and_tools&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiAnJHMBhDAARIsABr7b87of1-4Gk0zsAr7JFkAZLeIpHzWur-_w_4NwPW4It8gFVPdM_gMHQkaAuDiEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_21500568222_167985818119_716809480255_pla-295462056867_c__1221692360_106696263&utm_custom2=21500568222&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21500568222&gbraid=0AAAAADtcfRJNA2iEKz8xr-rQMa4Q8DTrz&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnJHMBhDAARIsABr7b87of1-4Gk0zsAr7JFkAZLeIpHzWur-_w_4NwPW4It8gFVPdM_gMHQkaAuDiEALw_wcB

These potholder looms are excelllent childrens projects, not just for - possibly more mature humans?? There might be a sleeping ADULT WEAVER hiding patiently in one of the children that use these looms: who knows how that might guide their future journeys.

So - if weaviing is your preferrence, or you want to digress a bit from your sewing machine  - then woven potholders may be your next project.  Check out the above links...maybe surf some more to find your perfect project...your PERFECT POTHOLDER just waiting patiently to be created.

The magic of making!

danielle