Hotpads galore

Last week I helped teach a Thanksgiving 101 class at our Church. It was meant to help younger women learn how to make a whole Thanksgiving meal. However, the 3 of us who were teaching also work full time so it made it quite hard to get everything ready. I was in charge of side dishes so I made mashed potatoes that are cooked and put in a casserole ahead of time and then just baked. Also a crockpot potatoe that I put in that morning. I also made 2 different recipes for sweet potatoes that I could make the night before. I also made 2 cranberry recipes: one was a jellied cranberry and the other whole berry sauce made with orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon stick and orange marmalade that was so delicious. The other women were in charge of the brining and cooking a turkey and lumpless gravy. It all went very well and everyone ate and ate and got a few new recipes and pointers on the meal.

I really enjoy making these hotpads/potholders so decided to make one for each woman that came. I just used fabric scraps from my stash again. (Why is it that the more you use scraps..the more they mulitply?) This pattern is so easy. It uses 5 8inch squares of fabric and a square of insulbrite. 4 of the squares are folded diagonally to form triangles. Then they are stacked: insulbrite on the bottom, 1 square of fabric right side up, then the 4 folded pieces with raw edges on the outside edges tucking the 4th piece under the 1st. After they are all stacked you just sew around the edge, turn right side out and it is finished. I usually tack the center also because when they are washed they tend to crinkle up and have to be ironed. Don't know about you but I don't iron much of anything (except fabric) anymore. Everyone was happy to go home with new recipes and a new hotpad.