Free Pattern: Oven Mitts

May 02, 2023 5 Comments on Free Pattern: Oven Mitts

Victorian kitchens combined the technology of the industrial revolution with the latest frivolities popularized by ladies’ homemaking magazines. This oven mitt pattern (from our out-of-print English Country Kitchen pattern) is perfect for making a useful gift or for decorating an old-fashioned kitchen.  Make one or several.  Use different combinations of fabrics, or use up scraps in your fabric stash - these mitts (or pot holders) don't take a lot.

You can use pre-quilted fabric to make a quick and easy oven mitt, or use our optional quilting pattern (or use your own) to add a fun embellishment.

Materials Needed:

• Pattern - download the PDF print at home version here.  This prints on 5 pages of 8.5"x11" or A4 paper.
• Instructions - see below or download PDF instructions here.
• Fabric - either pre-quilted OR you will need regular fabric plus batting (see yardage below)
• Thread - matching or coordinating thread
• Optional for quilting: snowflake motif (download the PDF here), quilting needle, quilting thread

Suggested fabrics: Soft, absorbent, washable fabrics such as cotton, linen, or blends.  Pre-quilted fabrics.  Thicker quilted fabrics would be best. For batting, we recommend polyester (dacron) or wool batting since cotton has a tendency to ball up. Be sure to use a batting that is rated as safe for heat resistant projects.

Notions:  Thread

Yardage Requirements

Cutting Guide for Oven Mitt

Pre-shrink fabric if necessary and press.  Check grain of fabric and straighten if necessary.  Permanent press fabrics cannot be straightened.  Choose Cutting Layout below corresponding to fabric width and type (quilted vs. unquilted) you are making. 

Place pattern pieces on right side of fabric.  Be sure all grain lines are parallel to selvage.  Before removing Pattern Pieces from fabric, transfer markings to wrong side of fabric, using chalk, tracing wheel, or tailor’s tacks.

If working with unquilted fabrics, you will also need to cut batting for Piece V.  If using pre-quilted fabric, do not cut batting.

Cut Piece U on the fold of fabric as indicated. 

If you are quilting a motif on Oven Mitt END SECTION, cut Piece V ½ in. larger on all sides than Pattern Piece.  After quilting is complete, cut Piece V to exact size of Pattern Piece before constructing Oven Mitt.

Cutting Layouts

Sewing Guide for Oven Mitt

NOTE:  If you plan to embellish your Oven Mitt with a quilted motif, refer to Quilting the Snowflake Motif below before assembling.

For Pre-quilted Fabrics:  Press under ¼ in. (6mm) along straight edges of END SECTION V. Turn again on seam line and stitch along pressed edge.

Right sides together, stitch END SECTIONS to MAIN SECTION U, matching notches.  Trim seam and turn right side out.

Press under ¼ in. (6mm) along remaining raw edges of MAIN SECTION.  Turn again on seam line and stitch along pressed edge.

For Unquilted Fabric:  Sandwich batting between two layers of fabric for END SECTION V, wrong sides of fabric to batting. Baste layers together within seam allowances.

Pin remaining two batting pieces to wrong side of opposite ends of MAIN SECTION U.  Baste just within seam line of curved edge. 

Machine stitch along straight edge.

Wrong sides together, baste remaining MAIN SECTION to MAIN SECTION with batting around entire outer edge, sandwiching batting.

To attach END SECTIONS to MAIN SECTION, follow instructions for pre-quilted fabric, above.  When hemming raw edges of MAIN SECTION, treat both layers as one. 

Quilting the Snowflake Motif

Download the snowflake motif here.

NOTE: Quilting of design motifs should be completed before final cutting out of Pattern; cut both fabric and batting layers ½ in. (13mm) larger on all sides of pattern. Piece will be cut to proper size after quilting is completed.  This helps in case quilting changes the size of the pattern piece. 

NOTE:  You may use this design for quilting on your oven mitts, or you may want to use another design, or create your own.  You can also quilt these mitts very simply with gridded straight lines by machine.  You would not need a motif to quilt, but just space your lines evenly along the pattern pieces.

Materials

• Fabrics:  Pre-washed cotton works best for the outer layers.  We recommend polyester (dacron) batting, since cotton has a tendency to ball up.  You may want to use two layers for the Oven Mitts to protect from heat; or be sure to use a batting that is rated as safe for heat resistant projects.
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• Thread:  We recommend quilting thread, but you can also use a few strands of embroidery floss or pearle cotton if hand quilting.  If doing a machine quilted grid, an all-purpose polyester thread is fine too.

Transferring the Motif

Use a tracing wheel and dressmaker’s carbon to transfer the motif.  Line up the motif with the grain of the top fabric.  If you wish to use an iron-on pencil, be sure the experiment first with your fabric. The pencil can smudge if the iron is left on it too long, and it may not wash completely from some fabrics.  If drawing your own motif, or creating grid lines, you can use any transferable marking tool you wish and draw directly on the fabric pieces.  Be sure your marking tool can be washed off easily.

Quilting the Motif

Baste layers together as follows:  Sandwich batting between top and bottom layers, lining up all edges.  Beginning in the middle, baste to outer edges on the lengthwise and crosswise grainlines.  Then baste edges together.  You may also want to baste from the middle outward on the bias.

Use a hoop or frame 2 in. (5cm) larger on all sides than the motif.  Quilting is traditionally done with thread the same color as the fabric, but you may wish to add color. If hand quilting, we recommend quilting needles #8 or #10, which bend easily for running stitches.

You may quilt this design by hand or by machine.  The lines are straight and easy to follow.  If quilting by machine, you can leave long thread tails and tie off and pull them into the middle of the quilting before cutting. 

Hand quilting stitches:  Whichever stitch is used, there should be about 10-12 stitches per inch (4 or 5 per cm), evenly spaced.  To begin, knot end of thread and pull through lining into batting (if knot comes through all layers, make a larger knot).  To end thread, make the last stitch a back stitch and run thread through batting.  Use a quilting stitch (going up and down vertically through the fabric) or a running stitch to quilt.

After quilting, use Pattern Piece to cut fabric to size, taking care to match the center of motif with the center of Pattern. 

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