How I made my pair of hot pot holders (oven mitts)

When my husband told me we would need a new hot pot holder, I knew it was my chance to sew a pair of mittens since I had never made them before! However, I was combining thick materials here, and the process was demanding. I was worried at some point that my machine couldn't handle the fabric thickness. Fortunately, they came out well and are, most importantly, usable. 

The suggested batting for a pot holder is an insulated lining because this lining is more prone to heat. However, you can always substitute another heat-resistant material, such as fleece cloth.

Materials I Use

Fleece 

- As a batting

Heavy cotton 

- I used two different types of fabric patterns. 

Polyester Tape 

- For hanging purposes

Needle size 14/90 

- I use a bold needle to sew heavy cotton and fleece. 

Jeans Needle (Schemtz) & Jeans thread 

- For decoration purposes only. Not compulsory.

Sewing pattern

 Use your worn-out mittens to trace patterns and adjust accordingly to suit your needs!

Let's start

After cutting your pattern, you should have two pieces of heavy cotton for the front and backside and four pieces of fleece for the linings and batting. Double the amount to make a pair of mittens.

Preparing main fabric (Outer layer)

Start by drawing a diagonal line on both heavy cotton surfaces. The distance between each diagonal line is 1.25 inches. 

I made a mistake by not sewing the diagonal line until the fabric's edge, and there was a visible gap on the end of the fabric. Therefore, for a better outcome, I suggest you sew until the end of the fabric.

Place the fleece (lining) on the wrong sides of the mittens. The lining should be 1cm shorter and smaller than the outer fabric. Pin to secure and stitch.

Sewing tips: I use a jeans needle and thread to sew the diagonal lines to appear prominent on the fabric. Consider opting for a different thread colour to contrast with the fabric. For an event or neat diagonal line, sew from the centre of the fleece.

Sewing machine settings: As for the sewing machine setting, I increase the tension to 4.

For the thread distance, start with a small gap, 0-1, then change the thread distance to 3. Shut the stitch by decreasing the thread distance to 0-1. Avoid backstitch or reverse stitch for this jeans thread.

Tips: This jeans thread is optional. You can use regular thread for sewing. Apart from the diagonal line, you can change the stitch style to squares or embroidery as you wish!

Combining Both Outer Fabrics

Line up both outer fabrics. Make sure the outer pattern of these pairs overlaps. Then, clip the fabric. Sew 1cm along the seam allowance of the mittens. 

And we're done with the outer side of mittens. Now, place them aside. 

Preparing the Inner Batting

Prepare the batting (two pieces). We will join these two battings. If you use fleece fabric like me, ensure the thicker or furrier part is on the inside (as in the small picture). 

Sew and join the fleece with a 1/2cm seam allowance.

Gathering Inner batting & Mittens outer layer

Tips: Trim the fleece's edge a bit to reduce the bulkiness. 

Then, slip the fleece into the mittens.

Clip the fabric and sew around the glove as marked.

We will tidy up the mitten top with bias fabric. I use the same fabric as the cover.

Tips: To make it easier, you can use 2cm polyester tape to cover the top of the gloves.

If you are using your main fabric, follow these steps: Measure around the mittens. Cut the length of the bias cloth with a width of 4 cm according to the measurements you took earlier.

1. Fold the bias into 2cm and clip. Then, iron to keep the bias in place. While ironing, fold the bias into 1cm.

2. Cover this mitten top with the folded bias.

3. Baste the stitch first to stay positioned during the sewing and joining process.

4. Here, I use a jeans needle. Sew around the bias. 

Remove the basting stitch once finished.

We will add a hanger out of the polyester fabric for better storage. Cut to 10cm. Fold on the end of the fabric, then sew manually to attach.

And we're finally wrapped!