These Cute Hot Pads Are Fun and Easy to Make
Feature Attractive Selvages – Or Not!
These cute and whimsical hot pads were inspired by a fun fabric line with adorable selvages. Whether you choose to showcase selvages or not, the hot pads will be charming in any fabric collection.
Since they’re freeform and a bit wonky they’re great for using the last of your favorite small scraps. Quilt-As-You-Go makes them quick, easy, and fun to make.
The basic design is very versatile. For example, you can use a fussy-cut motif in the center or another simple appliqued shape instead of the cat. Allow attractive selvages to inspire your design or omit them entirely and let the prints shine.
To make the design as shown, start by stitching the cat’s head to a background square centered on batting and backing. Then add more pieces to complete the design.
You can easily adjust the finished size by adding more rounds to frame the appliqued cat (placemats or coasters would be fun). Also, the cat can be made larger or smaller when you print the template (change the print size from 100% to whatever you want).
Notice that the pieces with selvage edges are stitched down from the front. The edges don’t need to be hidden in seam allowances as they won’t fray. If you’ll be using prints without selvages sew them down from the wrong side and flip them over so the edges are buried in seam allowances (see the tutorial).
The completed hot pads designed by Lynette from What a Hoot Quilts are 7.5″ x 7.5″.
Click here to download the kitty head template sized for a 3.5″ square of fabric (print it scaled to 100%).
