Double-Handed Pot Holder from Kitchen Stitches (and a giveaway!)

Here's a clue to which project I chose to stitch up for this week's Kitchen Stitches blog hop.  (Hint: Look in the upper left corner of this photo.)  **Also, I'm giving away a Kitchen Stitches book to one lucky winner today!  Info at the very bottom of this post.**

Yes, for several reasons, I decided to make the Double-Handed Pot Holder by Natalie Barnes.  First, I don't think it's possible to have too many pot holders... and I didn't yet have this double-handed type.  I also liked the opportunity this project provided to mix lots of print and solid fabrics, plus the pot holder is constructed using the quilt-as-you-go method, a technique I've been wanting to try.

Working with a Valetine's Day theme, I chose pink and red fabrics to start.  Then I added some oranges (My hands just naturally reach for them.  I can't really help it!).  I brought in a bright blue and citrus-y green, as well, to keep it from being too monochrome.  The radical part is the hot pink solid that I chose for the backing.  I'm not usually a pink person, but it just seemed right for this project.

The instructions were easy to follow, with clear diagrams.  The quilt-as-you-go technique was painless and quick.  Since I don't usually sew with hot pink and therefore didn't have any thread to match the backing, I decided to use a bright orange (I know, I know.) thread in the bobbin to provide a fun contrast with the pink.  For the top thread, I used an off-white.  The upper left photo shows the two thread colors.

Due to my own novice-ness at hand sewing bindings, and the many layers involved, I managed to stab myself several times with my needle during the process.  Twice, in fact, I had to spot clean drops of blood off the pot holder!!  Eventually, though, I got the hang of it, and the rest of the binding attachment went smoothly.  The many band-aids on my fingers may have also helped protect them (and the pot holder) from further injury!

Photo courtesy of Martingale Press.

Here's Natalie's lovely version from the book.  I love the idea of the casserole cozy, too.  That's on my future "to do" list.  I really think this is a wonderful book full of great gift ideas or a nice way to add some color and cheer to your own home.

Don't forget to follow along this week with all of the bloggers (many of them book contributors) participating this week:

2/3  Heather at The Sewing Loft
2/4  Becky at the Patchwork Posse and  Kim at My Go-Go life
2/5  Amy at FormWork Design and  Deby at So Sew Easy
2/6  Rebecca at Ruby Blue Quilts  and Jackie at Jabot Quilts
2/7  Melissa at Happy Melissa Quilting
2/8  Kari at Fresh Cut Quilts

Now, the giveaway -- thanks for being patient!  Simply leave a comment below for a chance to win one copy of Kitchen Stitches.  The giveaway is open until 5pm CST on Saturday, February 8, when I'll randomly choose a winner.  Please make sure your email is included in your comment, especially if it's not connected to your Blogger profile.

Good luck!