This is also the title tag to my sewing board on Pinterest (check it out) and I pin every neat ideas going. One of those ideas was a microwave bowl potholder and I have simply been itching to have a go at one. I've even see one design with a lid! Just search on Pinterest or google for microwave bowl potholder and you'll see how cool they are.
Yesterday at work one of the student health visitors who has recently qualified and is just about to leave us - they're not allowed to work in the base they train at for the first year so sadly we lose them once they qualify; heated up her home made soup for her lunch. As I share the office with the kitchen at one end it always smells delicious and we've had many a quick chat over those delicious smells!
Anyhow I offered her the crocheted potholder I made for work a while back - one that Mom taught me how to make but she complained one simply wasn't enough. She'd have to use it on one side and still use a whole bunch of paper towel for the other.
As you can imagine this led to a conversation where I found myself saying "Oh, you need one of those fabric microwavable bowl hotpad thingys! I've been wanting to make one for a while now" and before I knew what had hit me I was offering to make her one as a leaving gift.
I was due to get off work at 4pm and I was so excited at the prospect that as soon as I left I headed straight for the sewing shop. I am soooooo lucky to work just on the fringe of town centre - close enough to pop in during my lunch hour or after work but far enough away not to be bothered by the hustle and bustle.
I grabbed a printed tutorial and went straight to the sales assistant with a request for EVERYTHING 100% cotton. The tutorial said it has to be cotton fabric, cotton batting and even cotton thread so it can withstand the heat from the microwave.
This is a snapshot fo the fabric I chose. It's called Retro Bake Utensils and I love the mix up of colours so you can team it up with anything from pink to a kinda lime green. Because it was about £11 per metre I only got a half, the plain co-ordinating fabric was £7.50 but even so I only had a half metre. It was when I came to the 100% cotton batting that I balked a bit. It was £20 per metre! No way Jose! This was turning out to be an expensive project. If anyone out there knows where I can get 100% cotton batting cheaper please, please, please tell me.
Anyhow the sales offered to sell me 30cm width which has given me enough to make 6. My two half metre fabrics were enough to make 8. So my 10" squares are all cut out and ready to sew and I'm booked in at my mothers house this evening. I can keep her company, we can watch a movine together (kind of, when I'm not making too much noise) and I will sew at her table all at the same time. And tomorrow I get to take Michelle's microwave bowl potholder in to her.
In total it cost me 10 pence under £17 for enough supplies to make 6 complete ones and 2 more sets of fabric squares needing that expensive batting between them. Each square has to be backed with batting or it's not enough! It works out to a little under £3 per bowl holder but you'd have to sell them at £5 to make it worth your while making and selling them to recoup cost plus a little extra.
Hopefully I can post pictures here so watch this space!!! It'll be my very first project of 2015.
Hugs
Suezie
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