DIY Pot Holders

I've always grown up with hand made pot holders, I didn't know they could be bought at a store to be honest... So when mine started seeing better days I immediately started looking at the DIY approach.

Headed for my local fabric store (Atlantic Fabrics in Nova Scotia) and got some of that lovely filling that stops the hot goodies from burning my hands.

One meter goes a long way- I doubled it up and I still managed to get 16 pot holders out of it. For the outside I had a lovely collection of fabrics. Best to use a cotton blend. Lastly I finished up the edged with some black bias tape to give it a sleek finish.

The dimensions that I found worked best was 8”x8”

Step 1: Cut out your insulation into 8x8 inch squares, double up the squares.

Step 2: Cut out your desired fabric into 8x8 inch squares.

Step 3: Take some time to carefully pin the insulation and fabric together.

Step 4: Sew the center together, I chose a simple “X“ through the square.

Step 5: Finish the ends off with black bias tape.

Step 6: Go take something hot out of the oven, you’re done!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Thanks to a trade group that I’ve been obsessed with, I’ve managed to obtain a hilarious amount of canned tomatoes in various forms. Whole, crushed, and pureed… Got em all!

This recipe can also be used with fresh tomatoes if that’s what you need.

Pasta Sauce

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp red bell pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1 tbsp sugar

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbsp dried onion flakes

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 can diced tomatoes (796ml if you are dicing your own fresh tomatoes)

1 can crushed tomatoes (796ml of you are crushing/ processing your own fresh tomatoes)

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Mix the oil,bell peppers, garlic, onion flakes, butter, sugar and spices in a large pot on medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the cans of tomatoes- simmer for 2 hours.

3. When it’s finished, add the Parmesan.

This filled 3- 500ml mason jars with ease. REMEMBER to let the sauce cool 100% if you plan to freeze it in a glass jar. Also be sure to leave some headspace or the jars will crack when they are thawing (learned that the hard way).