Molly's Sketchbook: Felt Hot Pads

Sometimes we get a new product in that is so universally adored by the entire staff of Purl Soho that we know we need to make a Purl Bee project out of it. Our latest obsession is the new natural colorway of the Mary Flanagan Felted Wool called "Oatmeal". It's soft and fluffy and ever so slightly heathered in gorgeous natural ecru and brown shades. Every time I pass by it's shelf in the store I want to pull it out and touch it.

I have always loved Mary Flanagan's whole spectrum of  13-inch by 16-inch pieces of felted wool. They are so fluffy and soft. I've sewn it into all kinds of things, from baby dolls, to blankets, to mittens. This time I wanted to make something you could use, see, and touch every day. Page, Joelle and I all brainstormed and came up with these fluffy hot pads, which are so easy to make!

In order to make one piece of precious felt into two hot pads we used Carr Textiles Organic Cotton Duck as a backing. This canvas weight fabric is so sturdy and comes in great colors. The natural color that we used is smooth and slightly flecked which compliments and contrasts with the wool nicely. To add a kitchen-y feel we accented them with bright red  Fettucia Cotton Ribbon and did some simple quilting with bright red cotton thread. They are sewn with two layers of our thickest cotton batting making them very heat resistant and super lofty. Their rectangular shape makes them ideal for grabbing hot dishes out of the oven and holding onto pan handles. They are also pretty enough to use as trivets directly on the table.

If you'd to make your own please visit my Felt Hot Pad Project Journal right here. --Molly

Comments

[vicki]

Oh my these are lovely, so simple and elegant and you can almost feel the softness of the fabric in the photos!

[Chocosabje]

these look so pretty. I think the one with the 4 lines looks the best. im sure going to try my hand at making some for myself.

[Loretta]

These are S U P E R. Can't wait to make some. They will make great gifts ....for me!

[Lori B]

There are so many great sewing projects on this website! I started out reading because of knitting but am now really intrigued with sewing too!! Do you recommend a basic sewing machine? I have my grandmother's machine but am looking for something a little easier to use. Thank you for any suggestions. Lori

[Jody]

Are they washable?

[Caroline C]

I'll have to give these a try! Just to let you know, the link for the blankets you made does not work.

[purl bee]

Hi Caroline,

Thanks so much for the heads up about the link and the nice comment, it's been fixed now.

- Molly

[sushi_noem]

Please stop posting so many gorgeous projects....my to-do list is rapidly becoming completely unrealistic and un-doable! (Seriously, thanks for all the amazing ideas)

[Jillian]

Beautiful, and so simple. I love how each one is just slightly different.