Handmade cat potholders

I made these potholders as a gift for a partner's birthday.

After much deliberation over fabric options, I bought the jumping cats fabric at Gather Here in Somerville, MA and the other fabrics at Joann's Fabrics in Brockton, MA. I usually use secondhand fabrics (for environmental reasons), but this time I really wanted to make something inspired by his style, so I needed more options.

I took these photos after he had used them a few times, so they're a little dirty. Also, the stitching is imperfect, but he loved them, and I like them anyway.

They each have a little pocket to put your hand in.

Pin cushion tutorial

I recently made this pin cushion for my friend Christine. It is sort of like a grapefruit, and sort of like a watermelon.

1. Cut two identical round pieces of white fabric for the top and bottom.

2. Cut six identical pink pieces for the top.

3. Sew the pink pieces to one of the round pieces so they form a circle, leaving some space at the edge of the round piece. It is probably best to pin them on before sewing.

4. Cut a strip of green fabric, an inch or two tall and a tiny bit shorter than the length of the circumference of the white piece.

5. Sew the green fabric, folding a little bit over for a neat edge, along the edge of the round piece with the pink pieces on it so it becomes a circle. Once this is done, you should have something the shape of a cup.

6. Sew the ends of the green fabric that meet one another together, with the ends exposed on the inside of the cup.

7. Squish a piece of cotton stuffing into a ball. Use string to tie it into this position, as if you are putting ribbon a present. The resulting ball of cotton stuffing should fit into the cup you've made. Try to make the bottom of the ball as flat as possible.

8. Put the stuffing ball into the cup, with the less flat side toward the round piece of fabric.

9. Sew the second round piece of white fabric onto the bottom of the cup.