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Pot Holder (In-the-Hoop)

Completed Pot Holder project - 'Who the hell fired the maid?'

Serve up unique kitchen decor with in-the-hoop pot holders! Insulated layers and your choice of decorative fabrics make these designs both cute and functional. We'll show you step-by-step how to stitch your own!

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies


To create your multi-piece applique design, you'll need:


  • In-the-hoop pot holder design. We're using Who Fired the Maid? Pot Holder (In-the-Hoop)
  • 1/3 yard of quilter's cotton for pocket fabric
  • 1/3 yard of quilter's cotton for lining fabric
  • 1/3 yard of Insul-Bright
  • 1/3 yard of ironing board fabric
  • Fabric or ribbon for hanger (optional)
  • Tear-away stabilizer
  • Temporary spray adhesive (such as Gunold KK100)
  • Embroidery thread
  • Scissors
  • Masking tape

The design featured in this tutorial is:


Who Fired the Maid? Pot Holder (In-the-Hoop)

Gather Materials:

When you download an in-the-hoop pot holder design, you will find multiple files. Some are the embroidery files, and the others are marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size.


Open and print each dieline file using and embroidery software.

Three fabric pieces in turquoise, floral pattern, and beige fuchsia, along with white batting and two printed instruction sheets, on a gray background.

First spray one side of a piece of Insul-Bright with temporary adhesive. Smooth the Insul-Bright onto the wrong side of an ironing board fabric piece. Make sure the shiny side of the ironing board fabric is facing out.

Hand holding a white square fabric piece with a translucent heat-resistant layer underneath, placed on a beige fabric square over a gray background.

Then spray the opposite side of the same Insul-Bright piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth a piece of the lining fabric on that side, so you end up with a sandwich of lining fabric, Insul-Bright, and ironing board fabric.

Hand holding a square floral fabric piece with navy blue background and colorful flowers, lifted to reveal a white textured fabric square beneath.

Spray the back side of the back piece paper dieline with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the lining fabric.

Square fabric layering with a floral dark blue fabric bordered by white fabric and light beige fabric underneath, with white stabilizer and stitched outline on top.

Cut the back dieline shape out of the adhered lining, Insul-Bright, and ironing board fabric. Then remove the paper dieline.

Hand holding a small fabric pot holder with floral pattern on one side and solid gray on the other, next to a pair of gray-handled scissors on a gray surface.

To add a loop for hanging, cut a 6" piece of ribbon or a strap made from fabric. Form it into a loop and place the two ends of the loop between the Insul-Bright and ironing board fabric in the upper left hand corner. The temporary spray adhesive will hold it in place.

Hand holding a gray fabric potholder with a small square pocket and a floral loop at the top right corner on a gray textured background.

Spray the back of all of the remaining paper dielines with temporary adhesive. Then smooth them onto the right side of the appropriate fabrics.

Two fabric pieces secured in embroidery hoops with white stabilizer sheets, each marked with faint line guides, on a gray textured surface.

Cut out all the remaining dieline pieces. These should only be fabric, and should not have Insul-Bright/ironing board fabric on the back.

Pair of metal fabric scissors resting on two square fabric pieces, one solid light blue and one navy with pink, white, and teal floral pattern, on gray background.

Start Embroidering:

Once all the fabric pieces are cut to the correct shapes, it's time to embroider the design.


Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Madeira E-Zee 1.5 oz or Floriani Tearaway Medium are good choices. Those brands are more fibrous, less like paper, and will tear more cleanly.

Rectangular embroidery hoop with white stabilizer fabric hooped, on a dark gray surface. The hoop is unclamped on one side.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the embroidery file (not the dieline files).


Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. The sharp sewing needle has a finer point, and it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.


Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.

Close-up of a sewing machine needle stitching black thread on white fabric hooped in an embroidery frame, fabric positioned for precise sewing.

After the "pocket dieline" has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer.


Spray the wrong side of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Hand holding light blue fabric inside an embroidery hoop, placed over a drawn shape on white stabilizer, against dark gray background.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine, and embroider the "pocket tackdown" for the fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

Close-up of sewing machine needle and presser foot stitching a black seam on blue fabric layered over white stabilizer for embroidery or sewing project.

Once the front fabric piece is stitched in place, embroider all the inner details. Make sure to stop before sewing the "pocket lining tackdown" step.

Close-up of a sewing machine needle stitching black cursive text onto light blue fabric, partially showing the words "Hello" and "Mail.

Before sewing the "pocket lining tackdown" step, remove the hoop from the machine, and turn it over so the backside of the embroidery is facing up. Then spray the back side of the pocket lining piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery.

Hand holding a finished fabric pot holder with dark blue floral top layer and light blue bottom layer showing a small black embroidered design, inside an embroidery hoop.

As all of the embroidery from here on out will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin to match each of the remaining thread colors used in the design.

Black thread cone lying on gray fabric with a small black bobbin placed below it, both objects centered in the image with soft shadows.

Place the bobbin into the machine, and follow the color change sheet to embroider the "pocket lining tackdown" as well as the "pocket finishing seam".

Close-up of embroidery machine stitching black thread text on turquoise fabric, partially showing the words "WHO THE Hell FIRED THE".

Then the "back piece dieline" will stitch onto the stabilizer to show where to place the back piece on the back side of the hoop. Stop before sewing the "back piece tackdown".

Embroidery hoop with fabric in a sewing machine; teal fabric stitched with black text reading "Who the Hell fired the Maid?" on white background.

Before sewing the "back piece tackdown", turn the hoop over again, and spray the lining side of the back piece (which is a sandwich of lining fabric, Insul-Bright, and ironing board fabric). Smooth it in place on the back of the hoop so the lining of the back piece and the lining of the pocket are touching.

Hand holds a floral fabric piece inside an embroidery hoop with a taped stabilizer beneath on a dark surface, partially lifted to show layering.

Then tape down the strap if you are including one.

Hand holds masking tape securing a fabric loop onto a square piece of fabric inside an embroidery hoop, with stabilizer underneath on a gray surface.

Using a matching bobbin, sew the "back piece tackdown" and the "finishing seam". This will tack the back piece in place and embroider the final edge around the pot holder.

Close-up of embroidery machine stitching black text on turquoise fabric reading "Who the hell fired the maid?" with a black stitched border.

Once the embroidery is finished, carefully tear the excess stabilizer away from the outside edges of the design.

Light blue fabric pot holder with black embroidered text "Who the Hell fired the Maid?" in mixed fonts, pink and white tie-dye top border, black trim, and a loop for hanging.

Then also remove the remaining visible tear away stabilizer from above the embroidery to open the pocket.

Rectangular pot holder with black edges, floral loop and corner, teal panel with partial black text; hand holding white fabric piece on corner.