Homemade Hot Pad

This pretty and practical hot pad is an excellent way to practice beginning sewing skills. Your child will have so much fun and be so proud of the finished product that he may be more inclined to keep it for his own cooking projects than give it away as a gift! Using hand stitching exclusively, the design’s simple geometric shapes help young sewers piece fabric together and build patience, perseverance, and problem-solving skills.

What You Need:

• Dark-colored fabric, cut into one 8-inch square, two 4-inch squares, and four 1 x 8-inch strips
• Light-colored fabric, two 4-inch squares
• Cotton batting, about ½-inch thick, cut into an 8-inch square
• Thread
• Needle
• Scissors 

What to Do:

Forming the Front:

1. Have your child cut two of the dark-colored squares diagonally to form four triangles. Repeat this step with the light-colored square to form more triangles.
2. Ask your child to take one light and one dark triangle and place them together with the pattern facing the inside. He should stitch the long edge of the triangles together so that the two triangles form a square when opened, with the seam on the non-patterned side.
3. Repeat this step with all the triangles, so your child has four dual-colored squares.
4. Use this method to stitch the four triangles together into one large square.

 Putting the Front and Back Together:

1. Have your child lay the 8-inch square of dark fabric pattern-side down on his work surface.
2. He should place the square of batting on top and put the quilted square on top of the batting, pattern facing up.
3. Help him pin all the layers together to hold them in place.
4. Ask him to stitch along the edges of the triangles—horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. He does not need to stitch the outside edges. 

Building the Border:

1. Invite your child to fold each 1 x 8-inch strip over approximately 1/8-inch on one of the long edges and press. Repeat on the other long edge. Do this for all four border pieces. This will keep the border from coming unraveled after it is sewn onto the hot pad.
2. Have him take one border strip and stitch one of the pressed edge to the top of the hot pad in the front.
3. He should also fold the attached border piece over and stitch the other pressed edge to the back side of the hot pad.
4. Invite him to repeat the above process for the other three sides of the hot pad.