the goose loves hearts

So, as promised, here is the first of four valentine-sewing installments.

Here's the history - a couple of weeks ago, on a Fabric Depot trip with Jackie, I decided to sew an apron, and why not make it for my sister? I saw a terrific red and white print, and decided I could make it for Valentine's Day. So now you know what Day 4 will be, but in the meantime, I'll show you the "accessories" I made to coordinate. I primarily used the red and white fabric, but had some pink and white fabric already to add to the collection.

Part 1: The Heart-Shaped Pot Holder Mitt

So what goes great with aprons besides pot holders and oven mitts? Well first I googled heart-shaped pot holders, because it was for Valentine's Day, after all. I searched through many links, but kept coming across this Martha Stewart project: http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/heart-shaped-pot-holders. It works as a flat pot holder, but also functions as a mitt, since you can slip your fingers into the contrasting pockets and fold the heart in half. Snazzy, right?
So I got some white bias tape and got to work!

The tutorial is relatively easy to follow, but I made some of my own changes as I went along. My "pocket" fabric was a little thin, so rather than just using one layer and edging with bias, I cut out that shape on the fold, which gives me a double layer of fabric. Instead of using a couple layers of cotton batting for substance, I used a batting called "Insul-Bright," which has some insulation qualities. This will keep my dear sister's fingers from getting burned through the mitt when in the hot oven! Also, I had read several other tutorials about machine quilting your layers, which looks pretty cool, so I quilted my heart together with horizontal lines about an inch apart. Not bad! Here's my finished product - front and back!

Unfortunately, my sneaky little puppy decided that the pot-holder-mitt looked tasty one night, and managed to sink his little teeth into a small part of the bias tape edge before I snatched it away and disciplined him properly. So before giving the mitt to my sister, I have to re-bias an inch of the edging... oh well. Good it's going to family!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Valentine's Gift Part 2!!