Holiday idea: Make an ornament that can be used as an oven mitt.

Update: These are snug. I wish I would have made them bigger. The tapering of the diamond makes the pocket smaller than anticipated. If you make this shape, make them bigger than I made mine. 

Here are my ornaments that can be used as microwave finger mitts. The left one is a front view. The right one is the back view. The size of these are 9in X 4in, not including the loop. You can make these oven mitts any size, including large enough for a regular oven. 

I started with a paper piecing pattern from a larger project. That is why the numbers are all mixed up. These were leftovers that I copied to make several of the microwave oven mitts. 

I cut out my pieces when doing paper piecing so I don't waste a lot of fabric. I do make my pieces large enough that the seam allowance is slightly more than a quarter inch so that I don't have to worry about getting it exactly centered. 

I used leftover fabric one of my last years projects. You can also use a bigger, whole pieces for the front, and skip the piecing step. The fabric can be the design. You can make these any shape, circles, squares, or any abstract shape you find appealing. 

The top is an image of the back. The bottom is an image of the front. I rip away the paper before layering.  

Here are the pieces ready for assembly. The top row is the front of the pot holder. The middle row goes on the back to cover the insulation layers. The bottom row creates the pockets for fingers.  The bias strip covers the raw edges. 

With the pocket pieces, I cute a full size triangle and then folded it in half for more heft. I did not include a photo of the Insul-Bright and the cotton batting. Cut one of each to use as insulation in the mitts. 

The order of my layers are: 1) Top piece, right side facing down. 2) Insul-Bright layer. 3) Cotton batting layer. 3) The back piece, right side facing up. 4) The pockets. 

Pin to hold layers in place. I use glue basting, but I use a towel to put over the pieces when ironing to set the glue. I have had the Insul-Bright melt onto the iron and create a mess. Pieces can peek out a tiny bit. The towel prevents any visible parts from melting. 

I don't worry about the stiffness of the glue because I wash all my projects before gifting those to others or before using them myself. 

Here is an image of the back. Notice I left a 1 1/2 inch space between the two pockets to allow for insertion of fingers and more mobility. If you do not create a space, it is harder to get fingers into the mitt and it can feel awkward to use. 

I put bias trim on the top of the pockets to give it more heft. Then I used the bias to cover all the raw edges. If you notice the bias strip only has one side pressed over. That is because I sew the bias with the raw edge matching the oven mitt's raw edge. Then I fold it over to cover the raw edges and hand sew the folded edge to the front side using a ladder stitch. You can machine sew both sides if you wish to. I have trouble making each sewing line look parallel to the other or to sew directly over the initial thread line.  

I use the binding to form a loop at the top to place on the Christmas Tree or to hang in the kitchen. To create the loop, I start sewing the bias strip at the top of the mitt, leaving plenty of extra fabric, about two or three inches, and finish at the top. Then I sew the two ends together, fold the sides over to hide the raw edges, and sew into place.

This is the finished oven mitt. I am using these as stocking stuffers and fun little gifts. I had been worried that these would be too large to use as ornaments, but I have seen some rather large ornaments on trees. As stated previously, people can use these as ornaments or hang in their kitchen, or both. 

Paper piecing

There are pros and cons to paper piecing. Some of the pros are precise seams and stable fabric that doesn't distort. I have been resistant to doing a lot of paper piecing because of one major con: fabric waste. I didn't like using big chunks of fabric to cover a section only to trim so much of it off. 

Then I found a great hint on a show/article/email list. I really cannot remember where I got the idea to cut the pieces to the size needed so there is less waste.

From my EQ7 program, I print off the pattern for foundation piecing and instructions for rotary cutting. When I cut my fabric, though, I give myself a little bigger than a quarter inch just to make sure I have plenty of fabric for the seam allowance. I trim any extra after I sew the seam. I don't mind cutting off a sliver of fabric if it prevents a need for ripping my seam and trying it a second time...or third...or more. 

I create little cheaters to make my cutting easier. I use Post-it Notes to mark my cutting lines. I like to place them on the bottom of the ruler so they don't block my view. If you use a stack of 2 or more post its, it becomes a guide that fits snugly against the fabric. 

I put a cut out of the shape of my piece on the top of the ruler to guide my cuts and reduce mistakes from brain fog. That way, I don't need a special shaped ruler in various sizes for each and every project. 

With paper piecing, the image is backwards, which doesn't matter when the design is symmetrical and uses the same colors in the same areas. For example, in the above image, the triangles nearest the center square (D3 & D5 and two others not in the photo) use the same color. 

Sometimes, I print out one original pattern from my program, then I write hints on the patters such as the color of fabric or value of fabric I want at a particular spot. Then use our printer to make copies of the marked pattern. 

Usually, for my projects, I use plastic zip top bags to keep my pieces organized. I cut out both bottom corners to prevent moisture build up.  

I label the bag with a permanent marker placing the name of the quilt and the foundation piece number where I can readily see them. Then I can grab the bags I need for a particular section. 

This is great if your cat comes along to test gravity by knocking your pieces off your work station. You don't have to pick up the individual pieces... You do have a cat that supervises your work, right? 

Storm at Sea blocks

I have a started a scrappy Storm at Sea quilt. I'm making it for a young man and I hope the colors appeal to him. The blocks are six inches square and I will need 120 of them to complete the quilt. 

This is the first block. There are six of these. I'm using up the rest of one of my fat quarter bundle. 

This is the second block. There are three of these. 

This is the third block. There are two of these. 

I'm using the paper piecing method to make these blocks. I printed out the blocks on my printer, cut them apart, and sewed the pieces together. 

I'm using the Benartex Fossil Fern Fat Quarter Bundlle from Craftsy.