Foundation piecing pot holders

This is what you can do with last week’s block: a pot holder you can give away as a quick gift to teachers, family or friends.

If you missed last week’s post, go and check out the foundation piecing tutorial.

Or watch How to do foundation paper piecing video below.

You can learn the principles of foundation piecing on this 2 minute video. These principles can be applied to any foundation piecing blocks no matter how complex they are.

I have limited experience with foundation paper piecing but I find it most useful to produce beautiful complex looking blocks while minimising the inaccuracies of cutting and stitching individual pieces together. It doesn’t mean your blocks are perfect every time, far from it, but in my experience the blocks look better, flatter and more achieved.

Piecing blocks are usually made into quilts but I have found another use for them as pot holders to give away to teachers, family members or friends.

For my pot holders I have used the free foundation piecing templates from 627handworks.

Caldonia pattern (pdf)

Icky Thump pattern (pdf)

Zeppelin pattern (pdf)

Making the pot holder

You will need some extra fabric for the back and some batting.

Use the finished block size to cut a square of fabric which is about 1/2 inch bigger  than the block on all sides. Cut a piece of batting the same size as the back.

Make the sandwich placing the back fabric wrong side up, then the batting and the block on top as per picture.

Quilt any way you like. I didn’t use my quilting foot this time and used the regular foot width instead to guide me between lines which is about 1/4 in to 3/8 in.

Trim very close to the edge after quilting.

Nearly there!

Closeup.

Add the binding. Cut a strip of fabric long enough to cover the block all around plus the corners. I cut my strip 1 1/2 in wide.

There’s a good tutorial on how to add binding to your quilt at quiltbug.com.

Closeups of quilting and piecing