THE ART OF THE POTHOLDER – Around The Frame

Potholders have always been a bazaar favorite of mine. I have one of a sombrero handmade back in the 1940s. When son Robert wanted to learn to quilt, he made an appliquéd alien potholder that still hangs in a place of honor on my refrigerator. These small textile works of art bring a bit of whimsy to a kitchen. If you wish to decorate with textiles but lack space to hang quilts or wall hangings, try grouping a few vintage potholders together. They aren’t too hard to find at thrift/vintage/antique shops.

Useful and decorative: Potholder like quilts can play dual roles in our daily lives.

The Pieceful Quilters of Monroeville not only recently had their first quilt show, they also had a vendor area next door at St. Mark United Methodist Church. The vendor area was small but interesting: old quilts from the turn of the century to the 1940s to a wonderful hand-stitched baby quilt from the 1960s were for sale along with fabrics and other sewing odds and ends.

PQ member Martha “Marty” Rust demonstrated making cotton potholders using the prairie point technique. Marty learned the technique at a class up in Shipshewana this past June. Prairie points are made by folding fabric into triangles and then sewing them down into overlapping rows to make a circle. Instead of a traditional binding some quilters finish their quilts with prairie points to give them a more decorative look. Because of the way the fabric is folded, it makes for a nice thick potholder that you can easily fold in half to grasp a hot handle.

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To see how to make one go to: yhoo.it/1WHVuU9 to watch a tutorial. Marty also makes and sells the prairie point pincushions. It is interesting to note they use crushed walnut shells to keep needles and pins sharp.

So whether pieced, appliquéd or prairie pointed potholders can be fun to make!

LeftFest: Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make LeftFest a great event. Much needed funds were raised and given to the ACSPCA. A special thanks to Waynedale’s own Alex and Southpaw Jordan Cornwell for coming out and updating everyone on The Waynedale News and the newly formed Waynedale Chamber of Commerce. Left on!

Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts where quilts are bought, sold and restored. Located at 4005 South Wayne Avenue the studio is open Wednesdays 5:30p-7p and Saturdays 9a-2p or by appointment.