Binding a Folded Star Hot Pad

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Deborah

By Deborah Miller
of PlumEasy Patterns

Cherries Hot Pad		The Folded Star Hot Pad by PlumEasy Patterns has been a hit with sewers. We’ve received emails from all over the country and have heard that some are struggling with sewing a round binding on the hot pad. This tutorial can help you. I found that with the Folded Star Hot Pad you need a single thickness on the binding. The thickness of the hot pad itself with 4 layers, plus batting, and backing, makes the thicker double-fold binding too hard to work with (for me). TIME IT TAKES TO COMPLETE A BINDING: Estimated time to add the binding to a hot pad is 30 minutes. Hand-stitching the back is dependent upon your speed, but it takes me 20 minutes. The following is my recommendation for a successful binding every time for the Folded Star Hot Pad.
Step-by-Step Instructions: 1. Binding Fabric: Cut a single strip of fabric 1½” X width of fabric.
2. After the folded star hot pad has been sewn together with backing and you’ve top stitched the layers together, the circle should be basted around the edge to keep all layers easy to work with.
3. Make your hanger at this point and pin it in position. If you do this step, make sure to get the hanger on straight. This hanger is optional but I recommend doing it so you can display the hot pad on a hook in your kitchen.			Hanger Pinned in Place
4. Iron your binding strip with a ¼” hem and fold one end over to form a 45° angle, also with a ¼” hem.			Ironed Binding Edges
5. Gently pin the binding in place, going all around the hot pad. You need to ease in the binding and pin every ½” with pins inside the hot pad, not sticking out. Be careful not to stretch or pin on the binding tightly, as this will cause the hot pad to curl. A gently pinned binding with easing allows the fabric to roll over the edge for hemming, with or without a bias strip. Fabric cut on the bias does work nicer, but it is not essential if the strip is eased in.				Pin Binding to hot pad edge, pin every ½”. Do not stretch or make binding tight.
6. Since you start the binding with the 45°angle, it will create a point for the end of the binding to overlap and then be sewn together by hand, once it’s all the way around the circumference of the circle. You need to overlap the beginning angle at least 1½” to make sure you have enough fabric to hem. Unfold the ¼” hem to check that you have gone past the beginning 45° angle enough to stitch it together.							Overlap binding strip is 1½” past starting point.
7. After you are sure the fabric passes the starting edge, clip the excess length from the binding strip. Next, sew the ¼” seam allowance all around the hot pad. Sewing slowly and accurately; slide pins out of the way as you approach them. When done, remove pins. Turn binding to back side and press top.
To Join the Two Ends:
8. Hand-sew the binding start/ending section that you overlapped. Sew them together at the 45° angle you started with. Before sewing, pin the two edges together and align the tops. It’s a very small area and wants to roll over. Start stitching from the area closest to the hot pad and work towards the edge of the fabric.					Stitching Closure and Overlap
9. Take tiny stitches on this seam. The 45° angle is nearly invisible once stitched together, making a smooth connection for the binding. With the strip being only one thickness, this connection is not thick or lumpy. This method of connecting the two ends makes your binding look like it was really hard and yet it was simple and quick without the hassle to machine sew the connection into a miter.					Front of Closure Seam is Nearly Invisible
10. Fold over the entire binding to the back side of the hot pad. The ¼” hem you ironed is now the finished edge to sew down. Press edge again, if needed. Pin or clip hem in place so it is stable, then stitch. I recommend sewing a blind or ladder stitch. But that’s for another tutorial. Good luck!					Folding Over to Hem to Hand Stitch
I hope this tutorial helps clarify sewing the round binding on a Folded Star Hot Pad. If you have any questions or comments, please post them on the Blog. Let me know if this helps you. This tutorial is associated with the Folded Hot Pad Pattern, found online at FabricDepot.com. Copyright © 2011 PlumEasy Patterns, Salida, CA All Rights Reserved						FabricDepot.com also sells additional interfacing templates in a 3-pack.
For additional information, visit PlumEasy Patterns website and go through our online folded star hot pad tutorial at: www.plumeasypatterns.com.	Deborah Miller of PlumEasy Patterns is the pattern designer and creator of the foundation interfacing template for making the EASY Folded Star Hot Pad. PlumEasy Patterns is based in Modesto, California.

Determining Fabric Types with Flame

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Fabric Depot

Sometimes it takes a little flame.

Have you ever purchased fabric that you had to have but didn’t know what the fabric content was? Much of the time fabric content can be determined just by the touch and by its general look with an experienced eye. However, sometimes the fabric content can’t be recognized and so a different step is taken to discover what the fibers might actually be.

By burning each different fiber, whether natural or man made, it behaves differently when burned, has a specific odor, and leaves telltale signs of what it is once the flame has burned out, such as ash, hard melted beads, etc.

To help you determine what your mystery fabric might be, here is a list of burn tests to help you figure out what the fibers are.

Silk & Wool
When the flame approaches the fiber, it draws away. In the flame, it begins to melt and then burns. It holds the flame with difficulty, leaving behind crushable, brittle, and black ash. The odor is that of burnt feathers/hair.

Cotton
The cotton ignites on contact and burns quickly. When the flame is taken away from the cotton, it smolders, glows, and smokes. What little ash is left behind is fine, gray, and soft with the odor reminiscent of burning paper.

Linen, Jute, and other woody fibers
The fiber will catch fire immediately. Bulk fibers will flash burn while the yarn will burn quickly. It will not smolder or glow once the flame leaves the fabric and the ash left behind will be fine, gray, and soft. This will also smell of burning paper.

Viscose(rayon)
This fiber will ignite and burn rapidly. It does support combustion and leaves behind little or no ash. This, too, will have the odor of burning paper.

Acetates
When the flame approaches the acetate, the fiber melts and when it catches fire, it will melt ahead of the flame. The flames leave behind irregular hard, brittle, black balls of ash.The odor is that of vinegar.

Acrylic
Acrylic will melt and ignite before it reaches the flame and continues to do so after the fire is extinguished. The fabric will sputter and steadily burn, leaving behind an odor of burning meat. The ash left over is hard, black, and irregular.

Nylon
This man made fabric will melt and draw away from the flame. It eventually burns and begins to drip its residue. The nylon will support combustion but with difficulty, and the odor is like that of celery. The ash left behind is a hard black or brown bead.

Olefin (a man made fiber made from polyethylene, polyolefin, or polypropylene)
The fiber will draw away and melt before the flame ignites it. The odor resembles paraffin and the ash is soft and round while retaining the same color as the fabric.

Polyester
Polyester melts away from the flame and then begins to burn. It may produce soot. The ash on burnt polyester is hard, black, and round. It leaves an odor that is sweet and faint like burning pine tar.

Test Drive of Sullivan’s Cutting Edge Ruler

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Fabric Depot

Always begin with a new blade to "keep it sharp" on the Sullivans Cutting Edge Ruler.

Contributor: Paula Chipman
I was asked by one of the Managers at Fabric Depot to test The Cutting Edge ruler and then tell her what I thought about it. I have been quilting for over 20 years, and love to try before I buy, so I agreed.

What I found out was very interesting. As I do with all new products, I read the enclosed instructions. I found that the ruler has one edge that has been incrusted with a diamond powder. The purpose of this edge is to “maintain the sharpness of your rotary cutter’s blade.”

The instructions include a diagram of the edge that has the diamond incrusting. The edge is beveled slightly. I assume this bevel is there to make contact with the blade’s edge, which when the blade is sharp, is at an angle. The bevel on this edge made it a bit hard to make an accurate cut, but after a few tries, I got the hang of it.

I tried the ruler with a dull blade and found it was even more difficult to make an accurate, straight cut. I figured out then, why the instructions said that it MAINTAINS the sharpness of your cutter blade, rather than SHARPENS your blade. The ruler is not intended to be used as a sharpener for your blades. Instead, it is meant to maintain the edge on a sharp blade. A dull blade has lost its bevel; therefore, it cannot ride up against the ruler’s beveled edge as snug as a sharp blade.

Another note worth mentioning is that one shouldn’t use this ruler as a primary tool. Overusing the ruler will only result in destruction to the blade rather than maintaining its sharpness. Rather, it’s meant to be used every once in a while in conjunction with rotating the blade to keep it in tip top condition, hence, the use as a secondary ruler instead.

The moral of this is to make sure you read the instructions before you purchase a new item. It may help you determine the actual purpose of the tool. The Cutting Edge ruler would be a good second ruler for your tool kit, to help you maintain the edge on your blade. The Cutting Edge ruler could be used every few cuts to help extend the life of your blade. Always remember to start with a sharp blade and either change it out or use a rotary cutter sharpener when it begins to push, drag or skip across the fabric.

Installing the Invisible Zipper

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Fabric Depot

YKK and Coats and Clark brand of Zippers. Note that each brand has its own zipper foot for installing an invisible zipper.

Invisible zippers may look mystifying and difficult to use, but I assure you that once you’ve put one of these in, you’ll never want to go back to a regular zipper. The invisible zipper is very easy to install. What makes it different about putting it in is that it is sewn in open rather than closed with the right sides facing together on the fabric. After the invisible zipper is sewn in, it’s just that, invisible. The zipper blends with the adjoining seam and there is absolutely no top stitching to show that there is even a zipper there. The only evidence is the pull tab at the end.

Keep in mind that when you purchase an invisible zipper for the first time, you want to be sure to buy a corresponding foot that goes with it. Each package of invisible feet come with several varieties to accommodate different machines. You’ll need to try each one to see which will fit yours the best. If it’s discovered that none of the invisible feet can be used on your machine, the clerks at the sewing machine shop should be able to help you find an adapter or foot that can be used for this particular zipper.

Sometimes, a machine (a Husqvarna for instance) sold for home sewing comes with a zipper foot that is too wide to accommodate the narrow channel in the zipper tape. The special feet are designed solely for the purpose installing invisible zippers and take the complicity out of the job.

Here are some invisible zipper tutorials I found that will help guide you through the process.

1. Invisible zipper 1

2. Invisible Zipper 2

3. Invisible zipper on a Home Dec pillow with welts

EASY Folded Star Hot Pad Pattern by PlumEasy Patterns

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Deborah

We sewers are always looking for a new creative idea. When we discover something that works that is fun and can make our projects better, we love that kind of idea. I was making folded star hot pads the old fashioned way by drawing out my lines and measuring the center points, basting the points by hand, and felt it was time-consuming and tedious. There had to be a better way to make a folded star hot pad, so I challenged myself to figure it out.

There are things in life that have a ripple effect that move us from what we do a certain way to doing things differently forever. Take sliced bread. It was only 100 years ago that the first bread-slicing machine was invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa. Within 18 years, the notion of packaging sliced bread was introduced nationwide by Wonder Bread. The entire bread market was changed by one little invention. I like to think Rohwedder invented this machine because he was tired of hand cutting his loaves of bread and needed to speed up production. Whatever his motivation, his idea changed the world.

My pattern will help everyone who wants to make a folded star hot pad. I can show you how to make it easier, better, and faster. The simple method I’ve come up with is based on a copyrighted printed interfacing template that is a ruler—a ruler that is the foundation of the hot pad itself. You do not have to measure the distance between each triangle to form the star points. You can machine sew the entire project after you position the points. You do not have to sew the star points to keep them in place until the end. You do not have to tear out the foundation. All of these shortcuts make the hot pad easy, accurate, fast to make, and a project that will be successful for almost everyone—even beginners.

It is so exciting when you have moments where “the light bulb turns on.” Many refer to these times as “Ah-ha moments.” I experienced this myself when developing the PlumEasy Folded Start Hot Pad. I get to experience this moment over and over again in my classes, as my students discovered how simple it was to make something that looked hard but turn out so easy!

During one class, a student’s star was not straight, points were crooked, and not symmetrical. Looking at it, I could see immediately that she had made the first layer of triangles crooked so that the rest of the layers accentuated the error. I told her that it was not a problem; we proceeded to pull it apart and glue it down again straight. All of the students were watching me and their reaction was stunned silence. It was an “Ah-ha” moment. They had no idea you could redo it if it wasn’t right. But since they were using washable glue that comes apart easily, they didn’t need to be afraid to start over if they made a mistake or even if they wanted to change the color of the fabric or the order of the layers.

So What Makes My Method Different?

First, the template has a printed ruler
that measures the distance between
each circle on the grid. You lay the base
of the triangle on a 90 or 45 degree line and
align the tip of the triangle on the same line
and it will be straight. Each of the 8 triangles
sit on the same circle line, but move around
the diameter of the circle like a pinwheel.

You do not have to measure the distance
between each triangle to form the star points
because each layer is placed on a separate circle
of the template ruler. You can choose what circle
line to use to give the hot pad narrow or wide
spacing between layers, but by keeping individual
layers on the same circle, they will be at an equal
distance. The template has labels for each layer,
indicating what circle works best for the specific layers. However, you can put them as close or as far apart as
you desire…be free to audition your fabric and
see what spacing you prefer.

You do not have to sew the star points to keep them in place. Once you are ready to lay out the
star, you will glue baste the triangles with a washable glue stick. This keeps them from shifting so that
when you are done laying out your hot pad, you can sew it without worrying about the fabric shifting.

You can machine sew the entire project
after you position the points. You can sew
the hot pad easily by opening the flaps of the
top layer of the triangle and sewing straight
across to the opposite side, opening the flaps
on the other side, and keeping the stitching in
between the folds of all layers. This is quick
and it’s a snap to do if you’ve kept your points
straight, made your triangles with a little space
for stitching, and you use a walking foot.

You do not have to tear out the foundation. The foundation is non-woven interfacing and is left in
place. Your hot pad is made of folded triangles, and you sew in the folds, right through the foundation.

	To finish the hot pad, you adjust the layers and when you are happy with them, glue baste the top layer corners so they won’t move. Then turn it over and sew baste around the circle, then trim the excess template and fabric.
	Once this is done, it is ready for top stitching the batting and backing in place. With your backing fabric, batting and hot pad top together, stitch 1/8” away from the edge of Layer 4, using your presser foot as a guide. This simple straight stitch quilts the hot pad together. If you are able, use a walking foot.
	The final steps are to add a little hanger to the back, and add a binding. The hanger makes it possible to dangle your hot pad on a hook in your kitchen. I highly recommend this but it is optional, of course.
	The binding I recommend is a bit nontraditional. I use a single layer straight of grain strip of fabric 1.5” wide x WOF. I iron a ¼” hem on one whole side, and a 45 degree angle hem on one end. This picture shows that up close.

I pin the strip very gently all the way around the hot pad being careful to not stretch it or force it. I pin it every ½”. Pin the binding all the way around to meet up with the 45 degree edge and go past that 1” then trim excess.Stitch the entire binding all the way around with a ¼” seam allowance. When you take out the pins, slip stitch the 45 degree edge closed so it is nearly invisible, then fold over edge all around, then sew by hand with an invisible stitch.If you want to machine sew the binding, I would sew it to the back and flip it over to the front to top stitch.

Tips and Tricks

There are a few Do’s and Don’ts for a hot pad project.

Read the pattern instructions completely before starting. This will have your fabric requirements and many more sewing instructions. Note that the refill interfacing packs do not contain the pattern.
Select fabric that has high contrast and does not have too large a print. For the inner layers, only ½” shows so consider that when selecting fabric. Solids or tone-on-tone are great.
Cut your fabric accurately and fold/iron your triangles as perfectly as possible.
Trim frayed edges if they have hanging threads.
Spray starch the triangles if they will not stay flat or are puffy.
Leave a small space in each triangle fold for stitching.

Carefully folding and ironing the triangles is essential to make the hot pad go together well. This will save you a lot of frustration when you try to sew between the folds. If they are ironed so tight you cannot stitch in between, you will end up sewing down the folded edges.This little step is hard to do because most of us want that sharp point on the triangle but you can iron it sharp after you’ve stitched in between the folds, before you get to the circle basting step, by gently pulling the triangle flaps together and pressing.Notice the little straight pin in this picture? If you fold the fabric in half and put a pin in the center fold edge, press it into your ironing board, you can gently pull over the sides to create a perfect triangle with the perfect space in the middle for your seam.

Use a fresh washable glue stick and not a rubbery one that is dried out.
Consider the over/under position of the triangles and make them consistent.
Look at your hot pad before sewing it and make sure you are happy with it. You can tear it apart and glue it again if you made mistakes. It will go faster the second time.
If possible, use a walking foot.
Don’t stretch the binding strip at all, but pin it in place gently.
Don’t let your binding strip hang loose and sew it on as you go; pin it in place and it will not stretch. Sewing it on with it hanging loose will cause it to stretch as you try to ease a straight strip into a circular shape. If you sew it like that, the round hot pad will not lay flat.

Embellishments or Alternate Designs

Add rick-rack before binding
Mix up your fabrics, for example, try a rainbow effect
Try moving the spacing between layers to add or subtract for emphasis
Make the hot pad scrappy
Use crazy fabric on the back

And a couple last DO’s…

Buy extra foundation interfacing templates to make more hot pads. They are sold 3 in a pack at FabricDepot.com Once you learn how to make these, you will get addicted and want to make them for everyone.
Be creative and make your hot pads surprising and fun. See some fun examples below or at PlumEasyPatterns.com’s gallery of pictures.

Bread has been around for 1000′s of years, but only 100 years ago someone figured out how to slice it. The folded star hot pad has been around for decades but we’ve figured out how to make it easy, fast, and better than ever. We hope you’ll give it a try!

Zany Dots
with Rainbow Colors and
Ric Rack

Scrappy Smaller Sized Hot Pad

This has the red fabric smaller and the
white 3rd layer wider so that the star
goes almost to the edge of the circle.

Monochromatic with only three layers.

For additional information, visit our website and go through our online tutorial at: www.plumeasypatterns.com

Deborah Miller of PlumEasy Patterns is the pattern designer and creator of
the foundation interfacing template for making the EASY Folded Star Hot Pad.
PlumEasy Patterns is based in Modesto, California.

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