“In the 1930s, women squeezed every inch they could out of fabric by piecing patchwork quilts, curtains, blankets, potholders, and other personal or home accessories,” says Ketteler in her book. “To get myself into the scrap mindset, I found some original feedsacks, as well as a beautiful bag of 1930s cotton scraps on eBay. I love the warmth and cheeriness of these old cottons; blended together, they make lovely potholders. This patchwork pattern is so simple, you could whip up potholders for all your friends.”

Supplies
Several scraps of cotton fabric, for front
1/4 yard (0.2 m) cotton fabric, for back
1/4 yard (0.2 m) batting or fusible fleece
Note: For extra insulation against heat, use a material like Insul-Bright for the batting.

What to Cut
*Cut nine 3-inch (7.6 cm) squares Adjust your square size based on how large you want the potholder to be. This makes one approximately 7 1/2 -inch (19.1 cm) finished square.
*Cut batting and backing piece to match size of finished front. It will be about 8 inches (20.3 cm), but I recommend waiting until you have the front assembled to cut.

 

How to Assemble (See chart below)
1. Sew your squares together in whatever design you like, making sure to press seams. Begin by piecing individual squares together into a row, then piece your rows together. (Figure A)
2. Pin front and back, right sides together, sandwiched in between pieces of batting on either side. Stitch through all thicknesses, leaving an opening of a few inches (about 10 cm) for turning. (Figure B)
3. Trim seams and clip corners.
4. Turn right side out, push out corners, and hand-stitch opening closed. Press flat with hot iron.
5. Machine-quilt straight lines, following your seams, or freehand a design by machine or hand. (Figure C)

 

Taken from Sew Retro (Voyageur Books, 2010).

Visit Sewretrothebook.com for more information.