Spiced Spiral Hot Pads

It seems like spiced hot pads are all the crafting rage right now, and why not? They let out the most wonderful aroma when hot pots are placed on them. Last year, I was wandering around the gift section of a local cider mill, and saw the basic round hot pad as pictured above. Being the obsessive crafty type, I set out to see if I could copy it, so I wouldn't have to pay the $12 price tag. And, not wanting to just settle for the plain and normal, I went on to design an apple potholder. While this project does involve some sewing, it still is easily accomplished, and a good way to not only get rid of some of your scraps, but also make a gift that will be appreciated for a long time to come.

 Basic Potholder:

Materials:

• Scrap material 45"x3" and 2"x 5"
• Thread
• Needle
• Quilting batting (if making the apple)
• Uncooked rice
• Spices (whole or dried – if you use powdered, it may seep through the material)
• Funnel
• Bamboo skewer
• Sewing machine (you can sew by hand if you don't have a machine, just keep your stitches close together)

Procedure:

1. Fold the 45"x3" scrap right sides together and sew, leaving an opening at one of the ends. Do the same for the smaller scrap. Turn right side out.
2. Mix about a cup of rice and the spices together. Using the funnel, pour the rice mixture into the long tube. If the rice gets stuck in the funnel, jab the bamboo skewer into it to dislodge the rice.
3. When the rice mixture is about 8" from the top of the tube, tie a knot in the tube. This will keep any rice from leaking out as you sew the potholder, and allow for adjustments of adding or taking out rice.
4. Starting at the sewed end, begin to curl up the rice tube, forming it into a spiral, hand sewing and adjusting the position of rice as you go. An in-and-out stitch is best and doesn't show that much. Make sure that you keep the potholder flat as you sew so that it will not curl up on you.
5. When you reach the knotted end of the tube, you may add more or take out rice as needed, turn in the edges, and sew closed.
6. For the hanging loop: Take the smaller tube and turn in the edges of the open end and sew closed. Fold in half and sew the two ends together, then sew securely to the potholder at the point where the rice-filled tube ends.

Apple Potholder:

For a potholder that looks like an apple, make your long tube of red material and your short tube of brown material. The leaf is green material. Follow the above steps with the addition of:

1. For the leaf of the apple, cut out two leaf shapes in green material. Cut out the batting in the same shape, but smaller than the leaves. With right sides out, turn in all edges and pin. Sew the edges closed, and then sew a vein pattern on the leaf.
2. Sew on the leaf at the same point on the potholder where you sew on the stem (small loop).

If you do not see the table at the left, please click here.