"p" is for potholder

I have a very cute friend named Leigh whom I've mentioned before. She does a beautiful job of quilting ... and does it quickly to boot!  Maybe she's a little OCD like me? But that's not why we're friends.  She's positive, giving, spiritual, and fun.  You couldn't want for more in a person!

We're having lunch next week with with a few other friends to celebrate something wonderful ... the fact that she is now cancer free!  We really should all take a cruise together.  That would be more appropriate for the magnitude of our happiness!  But who wants the stress of trying to fit in last summer's bathing suit after all the recent holiday indulgences?  Or really maybe it's just too expensive.  It's certainly not because we wouldn't want to spend a week together on the ocean!

As for lunch, I wanted to bring a little gift.

So I decided to make Leigh something that I've now made 26 times.
Something square, small, and useful in the kitchen.
Something I could quilt myself.

Did you guess potholder?
(You saw the picture, didn't you!)

But practice didn't make perfect.  There were three tries with this set.
Attempt one:  TWO mistakes!
Attempt two:  Fabrics didn't work well together.
Attempt three: Stars aligned.

I'll add this wonderful magazine with the gift.  I bought one for myself and want to make more than half of the projects in it. (More time and lots more money needed!)  Because Leigh and I have similar tastes in quilting, I think she'll love it, too.  Happy coincidence.... see how well the binding matches the magazine?

NOTE:  The pattern I used for the potholder was from "The Best of Judy Hopkins 365 quilt-Block Patterns Perpetual Calendar".  I think if I show only a smidge of the page, I won't be sued for copyright infringement (finger's crossed!).
Also, I've discovered that an eight inch block is the best size for a potholder.

I've got one more set of potholders I want to make and then I'll stop for a while.
Oh, dear.  I just remembered that there is someone else I wanted to make a set for.
Best not make any promises about stopping just yet.

off-beat practicality

While at quilting class a few weeks ago, I spied an interesting color of green fabric on sale.  I snatched it up and off I went in search of something ... funky ... to coordinate with it.  Upstairs I discovered a fabric with piggy banks on it.  **Piggy banks!!!**
When I came downstairs with my duo, my quilting teacher's eyebrow raised ever so subtly.  Even though not a word was uttered,  I could tell that I might be out on a limb.  I decided the success of my quest depended on finding just one more fabric.  Something somewhat serious that said, "Don't worry.  I know what I'm doing."  And black with greyed white dots spoke those very words to me.

At that moment, I knew what I was making.
I don't want to call them "hot pads" or "pot holders".  Far too functional.  So I'll be Shakespearean and make up my own word like ... warmies.  Let's try it.
"Hey, Honey.  Can you grab me the warmies?"
Hmmmm.
This is going to take a little more thought.  Any ideas?

Sorry about the peek-a-boo element to the photos.  I plan on writing a pattern for all four and will show the other two when I do.  Hopefully I can figure out how to link a pdf file to my blog before we all ring in the new year.  My goal is to make some for all of my family members as Christmas presents this year (if you are a family member reading this, sorry I didn't issue a spoiler alert!).

FYI:  The inside batting is Insul-Bright, and the finished size for all four is 9.5 inches.  I didn't put a little loop in the corner so that they would look better if used on the table underneath a hot dish.
The set quilted with vertical lines is simply stitched the width of my walking foot.  The other set was quilted with outline stitches.