Easy Gifts: Quilted Potholders

These potholders are a simple project to make and are easy enough for even a beginner to learn.

1. For these potholders, use a pre-cut fabric charm pack. These squares are usually 5 inches in size however, if you don't have a charm pack you can easily trim some fabric to make 5-inch squares using either a Fiskars Pinking Shears or the Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo. You will also need a fabric for the back of your potholder, some kind of binding fabric, and batting.

2. Sew four of the charm pack squares to form a simple patchwork fabric. Using the Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo (12" by 12") trim the fabric to measure roughly 7"x9."

3. Similarly, using the Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo (12" by 12") trim the fabric that you want to use as the back of the potholder to measure 7"x 9."

4. Now, to prepare your quilt sandwich, place the backing fabric, right side facing down, then the batting and top it off with the quilt top with right side facing up.

5. Quilt these layers together, using a machine quilting technique. You can hand quilt if you prefer.

6. Next, using the Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo (12" by 12"), trim off the excess and square off the edges.

7. The final step is to bind these potholders. Trim long strips of fabric using the Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo (12" by 12"). The strips here are 2.5" wide. Sew this binding all around the potholder and remember to add a small loop to act as a handle. Learn more: How to make your own binding article.

8. Add a gift tag using the Simple Tag Maker, wrap with colored string or ribbon, and your handmade gift is complete for gift giving.