Fruit Salad Pot Holder

Inspired by: Follow the Thread from designer Wendy Sheppard

Project tester: Sarah Huechteman

Finished size: 10-1/2" square

Finished block: 6" square

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

• 5/8 yard green print (pot holder front and back, hanging loop, binding)
• 1/4 yard cream fruit print (pot holder front)
• 10-1/2"-square cotton batting
• 10-1/2"-square insulated batting, such as Insul-Bright

Cut pieces in the following order.

If you prefer to make triangle-squares larger than necessary and trim them to size, cut 3" squares instead of the 2-7/8" squares specified here.

From green print, cut:

• 2—2-1/2 ×42" binding strips
• 1—10-1/2" square
• 2—2-7/8" squares
• 1—2-1/2" square
• 1—2 ×5" strip

From cream fruit print, cut:

• 2—2-7/8" squares
• 2 —2-1/2 ×10-1/2" rectangles
• 2 —2-1/2×6-1/2" rectangles
• 4—2-1/2" squares

Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric.

1. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each green print 2-7/8" square. (To prevent fabric from stretching as you draw lines, place 220-grit sandpaper under each square.)

2. Layer a marked green print 2-7/8" square atop a cream fruit print 2-7/8" square. Sew together with two seams, stitching 1/4" on each side of drawn line (Diagram 1). Cut pair apart on drawn line. Press open to make two triangle-squares. Each triangle-square should be 2-1/2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four triangle-squares total.

3. Referring to Diagram 2 for orientation of triangle-squares, lay out triangle-squares, cream fruit print 2-1/2" squares, and green print 2-1/2" square in three rows. Sew together pieces in rows. Join rows to make a block. The block should be 6-1/2" square including seam allowances.

4. Sew cream fruit print 2-1/2×6-1/2" rectangles to opposite edges of block (Diagram 3). Join cream fruit print 2-1/2 ×10-1/2" rectangles to remaining edges to make pot holder front. The pot holder front should be 10-1/2" square including seam allowances.

5. Place green print 10-1/2" square right side down. Top with insulated batting 10-1/2" square, cotton batting 10-1/2" square, and pot holder front right side up. Baste layers together to make a pot holder unit.

6. Quilt as desired. Project tester Sarah Huechteman machine-quilted in the ditch around the center block.

7. With wrong side inside, fold green print 2×5" strip in half lengthwise (Diagram 4); lightly press and unfold. Fold long edges in to meet at center crease. Fold in half lengthwise, enclosing raw edges and aligning folded edges; press. Edgestitch long edges of double-folded strip.

8. Fold prepared strip in half crosswise to make a loop. Referring to Diagram 5, in a back corner align loop raw edges with quilted pot holder unit raw edges.

9. Bind quilted pot holder unit with green print binding strips, catching loop edges in stitching, to complete pot holder.