DIY Potholders | Free Potholder Pattern

DIY potholders are a relatively quick and easy project. You can add the extra details like a leather strap or you can skip that and this project is very simple. These are nice thick potholders that you will enjoy using or giving as a gift!

DIY Potholder Inspiration

A friend gave me a couple of Hearth and Hand potholders as a gift. They are thick and made of a durable fabric. The cutest part was the little leather strap that could snap on and off for washing. Mine had become pretty stained and I really wanted to try to make some.

There was a bit of trial and error with the buttonholes and the leather snaps. You could of course skip that part and just stitch a little loop into the potholder. I think the strap adds a nice touch and was worth learning a couple of new skills!

Supply List for DIY Potholder

You will need the following items. Like I said there was some trial and error so please read my notes and decide what you should use!

Thick Canvas or Duck fabric (or you could use something thinner if you want)
Batting- I used this 100% cotton batting– I am not sure I liked working with it. I prewashed it and it shrunk up a lot and got holes in some places. If you prefer 100% cotton I think it’s a fine choice, just be prepared for a bit of waste. It is bulky when using several layers and can be tricky when sewing the layers together. I almost bought this insul-bright batting which is made to be heat resistant. I think it would probably be a bit easier to work with and you would maybe only need one layer rather than two.
Leather for cutting into strips. I got a bag of leather scraps at Hobby Lobby, perfect for projects like this
A sewing machine
A leather punch and snaps– I used 6mm snaps and while they are cute, they were difficult to work with and super hard to find. I got mine on Etsy and they came from England and shipping was ridiculous. Next time I will cut a wider strip to fit a larger snap. If you are more experienced with leather and snaps, you may have a fine time with the tiny snaps.

Steps for DIY Potholders

First cut your fabric including the batting.

Two 9″x9″ pieces for the outside of your potholder.
Two 9″x9″ pieces of batting. If you are concerned with the potholder being too thick with two layers or if you are using the insul-bright or other thicker batting, you may only need one layer.
One 9″x7″ contrasting fabric for the inside of the pocket
One 9″x”6″ piece of batting for the pocket lining
One 9″x6″ piece of fabric for the outside of the pocket

Make the Pocket

Take the 9″x7″ contrasting piece and the 9″x6″ piece of batting and the 9″x6″ outside pocket piece
Fold the top of the contrasting piece down 1/2 inch with the wrong side facing up, press that with the iron and then fold it down again 1/2 inch and press it in place.
Layer the pocket with the contrasting piece on the bottom with the wrong side facing up, with a piece of batting on top and then the outside of the pocket
The flap that you pressed should now fold over the top edge of the two pieces. Secure that with pins or clips and then stitch it all along the top
Now, stitch the pocket to the right side of the 9″x9″ outside pocket right side facing up

Assemble the Potholder

Layer the potholder pieces as follows: A piece of batting on the bottom, the front with the pocket attached, the back of the potholder with the right side facing the right side of the pocket, then another piece of batting
Stitch all along the sides leaving a half-inch inseam, be sure to leave about a 3″ opening on the bottom or side so that you can turn it all right side out.

Turn the Potholder right side out

Trim any excess off the edges and corners
Turn the potholder right side out, use a pencil or scissors to push out the corners
Close the area where you left the opening with either a hand stitch or on your machine

Make a Buttonhole and Quilt a Few Stitches

You may want to hand quilt or machine quilt a few stitches on the back layer just to ensure there isn’t bunching when you wash it
Next, make a buttonhole on the top corner. If you aren’t sure how to do that with your machine, you can search YouTube. Here is a tutorial for my particular machine but I think most machines are similar.
Use pins to mark the beginning and end of the buttonhole and then cut it open
Cut a strip of leather, mine was about 1/2″ wide and 6″ long. If you can only find larger snaps make it a bit wider to accommodate a larger snap.
Attach the snaps, here is a helpful tutorial on that.
Insert the leather strip through the buttonhole and you are done!