How to Make a Fabric Scrap Potholder

Use some of your fabric scraps to make potholders. This simple design doesn’t require binding tape, so it’s easy enough for beginners. Whip up a set for yourself. Then, whip up several more to give as gifts.

Fabric Scrap Potholder Instructions

These instructions make a generous nine-inch potholder. If you’re making these for yourself, you can skip the batting, and just use an old potholder for the insides of your new potholder, if you want to. It’s a nice way to upcycle something that you might otherwise throw away.

For Each Potholder You Will Need:

100% cotton fabric scraps for the front
A 9.5″ square of 100% cotton fabric for the back
A 9.5″ square of Insul-Bright batting
(2) 9.5″ square pieces of batting (I used Warm & White)
2-3 inches of ribbon
100% cotton thread
A ruler
Scissors
Sewing pins or sewing clips
A sewing machine (This is the machine that I have)
An iron

Optional (but nice to have):

Warning: Insul-Bright batting contains aluminum, so these potholders aren’t microwave safe. I recommend using 100% cotton fabric and thread for this project, since your potholders will be coming into contact with hot dishes on a regular basis.

What You Do:

Pick out the fabric scraps that you want to use. They can be as fat or skinny as you want them to be. You just need to make sure they’re going to be long enough for you to cut out a 9.5-inch square for the front of your potholder. If you’re making a set of potholders, and you want them to match, choose scraps that are long enough to accommodate two 9.5-inch squares.

Arrange the scraps, until you’re happy with the pattern. Then, pin, or clip, the first two pieces together, with good sides facing.

Sew the two pieces together, using a 1/4-inch seam.

Continue sewing strips together, until you have a piece of fabric that’s big enough for you to cut out the front of your potholder. Iron the fabric, so the seams lay flat.

Then, use a ruler, or square quilting template, to measure and cut out your 9.5-inch square.

To assemble your potholder, stack the front and back fabric, with good sides facing. Then, lay a piece of batting on top. Add the piece of Insul-Bright next. Then, finish with the remaining piece of batting.

Pin or clip the pieces together, so they won’t shift around on you.

If you want to add a loop for hanging your potholder, pin a ribbon loop in the top left corner. It need to be facing in, like you see here.

Then, sew a 1/4-inch seam around three sides of your potholder. Make sure that includes the side with your ribbon loop.

Trim any excess fabric from the sides and corners. Then, turn your potholder right-side out.

Fold the open side in, so it looks nice and neat; then, stitch a quarter-inch seam all the way around your potholder. This will close that side, and add a nice decorative edge.

Finish by quilting your potholder. I just stitched a series of free-form lines that run in the opposite direction of my fabric strips. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, so feel free to get creative with the design.