Make a Festive Hanukkah Potholder

by Cheryl Lynch Quilts

A Hanukkah potholder (or Chanukah, depending on preferred spelling) is a great accessory for your kitchen and makes a wonderful host/hostess gift. This simple potholder is shaped like a dreidel and comes together nicely using insulated batting for heat protection.

From Cheryl:

I look forward to Chanukah every year. For me, it’s all about the traditions of being with family, lighting candles, exchanging gifts and eating potato pancakes, or as we call them – latkes. The location of most of our festivities is the kitchen, where we wait impatiently for the latkes to finish cooking. Frankly, we eat them (with applesauce) as soon as they come out of the frying pan. Five pounds of potatoes are gone in the blink of an eye!

HANUKKAH POTHOLDER SUPPLIES

Supplies listed are for one potholder. Grab a kit HERE>, which includes fabrics, batting, Insul-Brite & Sulky Perfect Appliqué Fusible Web.

Sulky 50 wt. Cotton Thread
Fabric (featured prints from Mosaic Masterpiece fabric by Hoffman Fabrics, designed by Cheryl Lynch)
- 3 ½” x 5” center
- 6” x 5” for loop
- 2” wide scraps in the following lengths: 2(4”), 2 (5 ½”), 2 (5”), 1 (6 ½”), 1 (8”)
- 5” square for appliqué
- 10” square for backing
Sulky Perfect Appliqué Fusible Web: 5” square
Low-loft batting: 10” x 10” and 1 ½” x 5”
Insulated batting, such as Insul-Bright®: 10” square
Clover Wonder Clips or pins
Shin Hebrew Letter Template

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USING INSULATED BATTING FOR POTHOLDERS

Important messaging from fabric.com regarding Insul-Brite:

The featured insulated batting, Insul-Bright, consists of hollow, polyester fibers needle-punched through a nonwoven substrate and through a reflective mylar. The needled material is breathable and won’t break down with washing. The hollow fibers resist conduction while the reflective mylar resists radiant energy. The energy, hot or cold, is reflected back to its source. At least one layer of cotton batting is recommended with Insul-Bright when used as Oven Mitts or Pot Holders. Insul-Bright is heat-RESISTANT, NOT heat-proof. NOT FOR USE IN MICROWAVE.

CONSTRUCTING THE POTHOLDER

All seams are sewn with a ¼” seam allowance.

Trim the bottom corners off the center rectangle.

Center the trimmed rectangle along the top edge of the 10” square of low-loft batting.

Stitch the 2” x 4” strip of fabric to the right side of the center fabric, right sides together.

Press the fabric strip toward the right side.

Repeat on the left side.

Stitch the 5 ½” strip on the right side aligning it with the angle of the center piece and extending the stitching to the rightmost fabric edge.

Trim the triangle 1/4″ beyond the seamline.

Press the fabric strip to the right side.

Repeat to add another strip to the opposite angled edge.

Trim the triangle, and then press the fabric strip to the right side.

Stitch the next strip (5”) to the right side.

Trim the seam, and then press toward the right side.

Repeat on the left side.

Stitch a 6 ½” strip to the right side aligning it with the previous diagonal strip. Pin the strip to avoid shifting.

Press the strip toward the right side. Repeat with the 8” strip on the left side.

Trim, and then press. Trim away the batting from the pieced dreidel.

POTHOLDER APPLIQUÉ

Print the Hebrew letter template, and then trace the reverse side onto the paper side of Sulky Perfect Appliqué Fusible Web. Fuse it onto the wrong side of the gold fabric. Cut out the appliqué. Then center it onto the pieced dreidel right side.

HANGING LOOP FOR POTHOLDER

Press the 6” x 5” piece of fabric in half lengthwise with wrong sides together. Unfold, and then re-fold the long edges to almost meet in the middle.

Unfold again, and then place the 1 ½” x 5” piece of batting inside. Re-fold the strip and topstitch both long edges and down the center.

POTHOLDER ASSEMBLY

Using the pieced dreidel as a template, cut a backing and insulated batting piece to match.

Fold the hanging loop in half widthwise, and then place the raw edges along the Hanukkah potholder upper-edge center.

Place the pieced potholder right side up on a flat work surface. Place the backing right side facing the pieced front, matching all corners and edges. Then, place the insulated batting over the backing wrong side.

Pin or use Wonder Clips to secure the perimeter, and then stitch ¼” from the edge, leaving a 2″ opening along one side.

Turn the Hanukkah potholder right side out.

Fold the opening seam allowances toward the wrong side. Pin or clip shut, and then press.

POTHOLDER FINISHING

Topstitch the potholder perimeter.

Topstitch 1/8″ inside the Hebrew letter perimeter using the matching Sulky 50 wt. Cotton Thread. Stitch a second line of stitching for extra coverage and emphasis, if desired.