Haunted House Potholder {a tutorial}

Is it too early to start on the Halloween projects?  

I've been sitting on this project for months, waiting for it to be an appropriate date to post a tutorial for a Halloween project. March was definitely too early --and if I wait until October, it'll be too late for you to make one and get any use out of it. (I'm assuming that, unlike me, someone out there might actually want to make a  seasonal projects in time for the holiday it's intended for.)

Start with a 9x12" piece of cotton batting and 10" strings of black and dark grey fabric. Sew a string block using the batting as your foundation. Start in the middle and keep adding strings to the top and bottom until the batting is covered. You'll get a more ramshackle look if you angle the strips to keep them slightly uneven.

 

Once you have your 9x12" string block finished, cut the top into the shape of a roof. To make your potholder more useful, keep the point fairly shallow.

Cut a solid piece of black or dark grey print (or string piece another section) and another layer of batting to the same size and shape as the front of your house, layer them with the house front facing up, backing with right side against the house, then the second piece of batting on top. If you want to use one of the specialized battings made for potholders, substitute it for the second piece of batting.

Sew around the three straight edges and clip the bottom two corners before turning right side out.

You'll be binding the two raw edges that form the roof. Cut a brown print into a 2 1/2" wide strip that's long enough to bind both sides. Tucking the raw edges under at each end, apply the binding, mitering at the top angle.

Back brown and black print fabric with fusible web for the door and windows. For the attic window, cut a circle of black fabric, then cut it into quarters. Cut a circle of brown fabric about 3/4 of an inch larger, then layer the pieces and fuse them into place.  Repeat with a rectangle for the downstairs window. Add an oblong door shape. Use free motion quilting to sew just inside of all fused pieces and to add vertical lines to the door to suggest boards.

Be sure to check out  my other free Halloween Tutorials -- Halloween Parlor Quilt , Haunted House Potholder, Potion Bottle Mug Rug, Pumpkin Carving Wall Quilt