DIY potholders or trivets

What it is

Cotton can take heat; most synthetics melt. That single material fact is the non-negotiable rule of potholders, because a pretty potholder made from polyester or with polyester wadding inside will melt onto your hand and a hot pan, which is exactly the opposite of its job.

DIY potholders or trivets are heat-resistant pads that protect hands and surfaces from hot pans and dishes. A potholder is a thick padded square you hold, a trivet sits on the table or worktop under a hot dish. Both are excellent beginner sewing projects: you layer fabric with a heat-resistant batting, quilt the layers together for thickness, and bind the edges. Trivets can also be made without sewing at all, from coiled rope, wooden beads, or fabric-wrapped clothesline.

The materials must all be natural and heat-safe through and through, which is the one rule beginners must not break. The outer fabric should be 100% cotton, and crucially the wadding inside must be a heat-resistant type such as cotton batting or a specialist insulating wadding like Insul-Bright, never the polyester wadding used in ordinary quilts, which melts and conducts heat straight through. Doubling up the insulating layer gives proper protection for a heavy cast-iron pan. Beyond safety, these are a brilliant way to use up small fabric scraps, and a handmade set in fabrics that match a kitchen makes a genuinely useful and quick gift that costs almost nothing to produce.