Two hearts are always better than one, and our heart shaped oven mitts are the perfect pair. They slip onto your hands to give you a protected yet flexible grip for hot pots and pans. Patterns are offered for both the full heart shape as well as the unique curved pockets. A diamond quilting pattern secures the insulating layers of fabric, thermal batting, and regular batting, but you could alter the quilting pattern to best suit your fabric’s motif and your personal style.

Make matching pads or alternate the fabrics as we did for a cute coordinated pair.

We originally chose two fabrics from the Recollection collection by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery Fabrics. This is an older collection that is not longer readily available. Pick your favorite combo from a new collection or mix and match from your stash.

Our hot pads feature a layer of thermal batting plus a layer of regular low-loft cotton batting on the back, and a single layer of thermal batting on each pocket. This combination created a good blend of both protection and flexibility. However, you can add additional layers of insulating batting to increase the heat shield. Simply remember to grade the layers to facilitate a smooth curve when turning right side out. You may also need to increase the width of the binding strips on the pockets to accommodate the additional thickness.

With either our recommended layers or increased layers, an Even Feed or Walking foot will help with construction. Or engage your machine’s built-in fabric feeding systems, such as the AcuFeed™ Flex system we use on many of our Janome studio machines.

You’ll also notice our mitt’s hanging loop is positioned at the bottom of the heart. This keeps it out of the way when reaching towards the heat source – you don’t want a dangling piece of fabric near an open flame or red hot element!

Do you love the coordinating apron shown above? It’s an available S4H free project: Heart and Ruffle Apron.

Each hot pad finishes at approximately 9″ wide x 7″ high.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing Machine and standard presser foot
• Quilting Guide Bar; optional for the diamond quilting
• Walking or Even Feed foot – or use your machine’s built-in fabric feeding system, such as the Janome AcuFeed Flex™ system

Fabric and Other Supplies

NOTE: Amounts listed are for a set of TWO coordinated hot pads.

• ½ yard EACH of TWO 44″+ wide coordinating quilting weight cotton fabrics
• ½ yard of 45″ wide insulated fleece: we used Insul-Bright by The Warm Company
• ½ yard of 45″ wide low loft batting
• All purpose thread to coordinate with fabrics
• See-through ruler
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Seam gauge
• Seam ripper
• Straight pins

Getting Started and Pattern Download

NOTE: Remember, the supplies above and the cuts below are for a set of TWO hot pads.

1. Download and Print: The three templates that make up our pattern set: TWO copies of the main heart and ONE copy of the pocket. These three pieces have been bundled into one PDF to make the download easier.
   IMPORTANT: Each page in this PDF is ONE 8½” x 11″ sheet. You must print the PDF file at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page. There is a guide line on each sheet so you can confirm your final printout is to scale.
2. Cut out each pattern along the solid line.
3. Find the two Template 1 printouts, flip over one printout so the printed side is facing down. Line up the center arrows and tape together to make one complete pattern piece, i.e. one complete heart.
4. Using the completed heart pattern, cut TWO full hearts from EACH fabric.
5. Using the pocket pattern, cut FOUR from EACH fabric.
   NOTE: The pockets are layered wrong sides together with batting between, so remember you’ll need to fold your fabric wrong sides together to cut each pair so your curves are facing the correct direction when you layer. As an option, especially if you have a specific fussy cut you want to achieve for the pockets, you can cut the fabric as a single layer, flipping over the pattern. In other words, cut two with the pattern piece right side up and two with the pattern piece wrong side up. 
6. The photo below shows the set of fabric cuts for one mitt.
   
7. Trim the assembled heart pattern along the dotted/seam line. Use this trimmed pattern to cut TWO hearts from the regular batting and TWO hearts from the thermal batting.
   
8. Trim the pocket pattern along the dotted/seam line, leaving the solid straight edge as-is. Use this trimmed pocket pattern to cut FOUR pieces from the thermal batting.
   
9. From EACH fabric, cut the following strips on the bias for the pocket binding and hanging loop:
   TWO at 2¼” x 7 for the binding
   ONE at 2¼” x 4″ for the loop
   

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Below is an illustration showing how our two hot pads coordinate with one another.

Layering and quilting the back

1. Place the back heart wrong side up on your work surface.
2. Center the thermal batting heart on top of this fabric heart. There should be ¼” of fabric extending beyond the batting all around.
   
3. Place the regular batting heart on top. Its edges should be flush with the thermal batting heart.
4. Lightly pin the three layers together.
5. Flip so the fabric heart is right side up. If your motif has a strong linear motif, as ours did, you should use it to determine your quilting lines.
   
6. If there is not a linear pattern to follow, we recommend spacing of 1″ – 1⅛”. Using a fabric pen or pencil, start at the center of the heart and draw diagonal lines first to the right of center, then to left of center. Stitch along these drawn lines, then rotate to draw a full set of intersecting lines with the same spacing from the opposite direction to create a diamond pattern. We lightly drew in guide lines even though, as pictured, we used a Quilt Guide Bar to maintain our evenly spaced lines.
   
   NOTE: If you are using one linear fabric and one non-linear fabric as we did, set the line spacing using the linear fabric. Then use this same line spacing on the non-linear fabric. You want the quilting on the two hot pads to match. Remember, you are working on the right side of the fabric; make sure any fabric pen or pencil you use is one that can be easily wiped away or will vanish with exposure to the air or to the heat of an iron. 
7. With all quilting, we recommend using a Walking/Even Feed foot or similar if possible or engaging your machine’s built-in fabric feeding system.
8. Select a closely matching thread to the fabric and lengthen your stitch.
   
9. Set the completed back panel aside.

Layering and quilting the pockets

1. For each mitt, place two of the four pocket fabric pieces wrong side up on your work surface. Layer a thermal batting piece on each fabric piece. The straight edges of the fabric and batting should be aligned, but along the curved edge, there should be ¼” of fabric showing beyond the batting.
   
2. Layer the remaining fabric pieces right side up on top, creating a fabric-batting-fabric sandwich with both fabric pieces facing right side out.
3. Flip so the two pockets for each mitt are properly positioned (inside edges facing one another). Create a set of diamond guide lines with spacing to exactly match the back panel. Make sure the lines on each pocket will match up when they sit side by side.
   
4. Lightly pin the three layers together.
   
5. As above, using a Walking/Even Feed foot or similar or your built-in feeding system if possible, select a closely matching thread to the fabric for both the top and bobbin, and lengthen your stitch. Stitch along each drawn guide line.
6. Set the quilted pockets aside.

Binding and loop strips

1. Find the two lengths of binding strips and the one loop strip.
2. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Press to set a center crease.
3. Open up each strip, so the crease line is visible, and fold in each long edge to meet at the center crease. Fold again along the original center crease so the long folded edges are flush. Press well.
   
4. Set the two binding strips aside.
5. Edgestitch the 4″ loop strip along the folded edges. The ends remain open and raw.
   
6. Find the pockets. Slip a binding strip over the inner curved edge of each pocket. The strip should extend beyond the curve just a bit at the top and bottom. Pin in place.
   
7. Re-thread the machine with thread to match the binding if necessary.
8. Still using a Walking/Even Feed foot or similar or your built-in feeding system if possible, edgestitch each binding strip in place. Go slowly to insure you are catching both the front and back of the binding in this one seam.
9. Trim away any excess from the top or bottom so the binding is flush with the pocket.
   

Final assembly

1. Find the remaining full fabric heart that is the front “lining” piece. Place this heart right side up on your work surface. Place the pockets in position, also right side up, on the full heart. The raw outer edges of the heart should be flush with the raw outer edges of the pockets. The inner top points of the pockets should overlap just a bit at the center “V” of the heart. Pin the pockets in place on the “lining.”
2. Fold the loop in half so the raw ends are flush. Pin or machine baste the loop in place at the bottom of the right pocket, aligning the loop with the pocket’s binding as shown in the photo below.
   
3. Machine baste the pockets in place on the lining, staying close to the raw edges.
   
4. Place the front and back panels right sides together. This means the pockets of the front should be against the quilted fabric layer of the back. Pin all around, leaving a 4″ opening along one outer side above the binding.
   
5. Shorten your stitch length and stitch all the way around the heart, using a ¼” seam allowance. Continue to use a Walking/Even Feed foot or similar or your built-in feeding system  Go slowly in order to maintain a smooth curve, pivoting at the top “V” of the heart and its bottom point.
6. Because you did such a good job trimming back your batting layers, you should be working with just fabric layers and not batting for this final seam. This helps reduce the bulk so the mitt will turn right side out with a smoother finish. Remember to lock your seam at either side of the opening.
   
7. Carefully clip the curves and the points.
   
8. Turn right side out through the opening and press flat, pressing in the raw edges of the seam allowance at the opening so they are flush with the sewn seam. Before pressing, it may be helpful to run a long, blunt tool, such as a knitting needle, chopstick or point turner, inside the pockets to round out the curves.
9. Re-thread the machine if necessary with thread to best match the fabric in both the top and the bobbin.
10. Edgestitch all around the perimeter of the mitt. This closes the opening used for turning and helps keep all the layers flat.
    

Project Concept: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Debbie Guild