How to Sew Together a "HotHolder"

Intro: How to Sew Together a "HotHolder"

I wanted to have an "easier-to-handle" pot holder when cooking with cast iron.  I thought the pan should have it's own "mitten" and I wouldn't have to look for a pot holder all the time. Hence this instructable.

STEP 1: Make Templates/Patterns From Cardboard and Cloth

Referring to the attached photos, cut cardboard and cloth as shown. The cardboard consists of two "body" pieces, and spacer pieces as shown.  The cloth is simply cut  a little smaller as it will be stretched over the cardboard body.  This material is a "spandex", or elastic- like cloth that stretches quite a bit.

STEP 2: Cardboard Is Glued and Sewn Together

After gluing the cardboard, it is sewn as well. I found that the glue alone is not strong enough to contain the pan handle, so added the stitching after finding that out.  Safety is a concern, of course, and the whole idea is to prevent any burns while cooking.

STEP 3: Sew the Cloth Cover

Self explanatory. I am not a sewing person, so I just did the best I could and used hand stitching to accomplish the task. I could see where a machine could make very short work of this project, indeed.

STEP 4: Slip Sewn Cover Over Cardboard Handle

The cloth is then stretched over the body, and the project is complete.

STEP 5: Slip on "Hotholder"

The hotholder should slip on easily, but also be very snug. You want as little movement between it and the pan handle as possible.

STEP 6: Have a Cool Hand While Cooking!

This is a 10 inch skillet and is quite heavy. The "hotholder" works fine, is left on all the time, and so far has been a success. It would be an easy matter to make several of these to have on hand for multiple utensils.

Comments

[grannyjones]

Welding blanket would be ideal close to the flame.
Further out, wool.
Wool is traditionally worn by welders.
If it starts to burn, it goes very slowly and smells like burning hair.
Olfactory alarm.

[RedneckEngineer]

Nice idea but isn't having flamable material that close to the flame a little on the risky side? Could be a inferno and a burnt down house very quickly. Maybe if you used silicone instead it would be safer. I just hate to think someone could get hurt or lose thier house if it caught on fire. I hate sounding like a kill joy but safety first.

[galadriel]

When I got my cast iron pans, I ordered something very similar (made of the same stuff potholders are) to go with them, intended for the same use. They can stay on the handle while cooking on the stovetop or in the oven. Potholders are certainly flammable, as I've accidentally caught them on fire before... I don't know if the spandex-and-cardboard is entirely safe, but *just* because it's flammable and on the handle doesn't necessarily make it a serious danger.

[Creativeman]

Thanks galadriel: cooking is a pretty risky business, and common sense must prevail at all times. With a little caution and observing, so far, I have had no problems with my cloth covered handle!

[scoochmaroo]

Ok, I could totally use some fireproof oven gear. They make kid's clothes fireproof, yeah? How do we do that? Maybe I need to get ahold of some pre-treated fabric and combine it with the insul brite. Hmm. . . .

[scoochmaroo]

Check out Insul Brite. It's awesome, and I use it for everything. Well, everything I'm trying to insulate myself from . . .

[Creativeman]

Thanks scooch: This is what I found: "Insul~Bright consists of hollow, polyester fibers needlepunched through a nonwoven substrate and through a reflective metalized poly film. The needled material is breathable and won’t break down with washing. The hollow fibers resist conduction while the reflective metalized poly film resists radiant energy. The energy, hot or cold, is reflected back to its source. " Trouble is, there are no retailers closer than 300 miles from me! Can you believe it? At least that is what the web site says...

[scoochmaroo]

Boo. PM me your address, I will mail you some.

[Creativeman]

I'll check it out!