Pot Holders for All Seasons-'May Flowers'

It seems like a long time ago that we saw flowers, but that doesn’t mean we cannot brighten our homes with this cute pot holder. Join in our Sew Along for “May Flowers”.
Refer to page 25 in Pot Holders for All Seasons by Chris Malone for the pattern, fabric, and tool requirements. Don’t have the book, yet? Purchase it here!
Let’s get started!
First, read through the pattern and my tips. Then, cut the fabric according instructions on page 25.

Sew A (grass) to B (sky), press, and pin baste to the 6 ½” x 7 ½” cotton batting. Refer to the instructions on page 4 and prepare the stems and leaves. The leaf and flower template patterns are on the removable sheet inside the book. Fuse the stems as in Fig. 1 on page 26 then blanket stitch around the raw edges. I decided to stitch the stems before adding the leaves because it seemed easier.

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Add the leaves.

Now, on to the flowers! Read the “Padded Appliqué” instructions on page 6. Make the templates from the pattern sheet and trace around them on the wrong sides of your flower fabrics. Layer two pieces of flower fabric, wrong sides together, with a piece of batting on the back. Use a short stitch length and stitch along the traced lines.

Trim the extra fabric 1/8” – 1/4” from the stitching. Trim the batting as close as you can to the stitching. Clip the curves. I used the slash in the back of the appliqué (page 6) to turn the circles right side out. Then I gently pushed the sewn edges out to try to end up with a nice smooth circle. (Side note: I also stitched one flower without the batting. After turning the circle right side out, I tucked the batting inside. The author’s technique turned out puffier and nicer so I used hers.)

Lay the pocket front onto the pocket back and pin baste them together. Decorate your flowers with the running stitch and don’t worry if they are not as perfect as the book. Attach them to the tops of the stems when you sew on the buttons. So cute! Referring to the binding instructions on page 8, bind the top of edge of the pocket. Use a longer stitch to baste the sides and bottom layers together.

Gather the pieces for your pot holder backing. Layer them carefully and clip them together. I like Wonder Clips for this rather than pins because the two layers of batting are thick. Clips keep everything nice and flat.

Quilt the pot holder backing with a diagonal grid. Just move the clips when they are in the way. Almost done!

Again using clips, attach the flowered front pocket piece to the backing piece. Using a longer stitch, baste close to the edge of all 7 layers. This makes it much easier to attach the binding.

Page 7 has general instructions for attaching and finishing your binding. And then, celebrate!