Embroidery Library - Machine Embroidery Designs Inspired Project Page

Pan Handle Protector

When things get hot in the kitchen, keep your hands safe from the heat with pan handle protectors.

Handles of pots and pans - especially cast iron -- can get very hot. A fashionable and functional sleeve for the handles add extra protection - and a colorful look too!

Read on for instructions to make a pan handle protector of your very own!

Free project tutorial for an embroidered pan handle protector.

Supplies Needed:

**1/4 yard solid-colored quilted cotton fabric (for top)

**1/4 yard print quilted cotton fabric (for bottom)

**1/4yard Insul-bright insulated lining

**1/4 yard cotton fabric (for inner lining)

**Medium weight cutaway stabilizer

**Temporary spray adhesive

**Air-erase pen

**Extra wide double fold bias tape

**Needle and thread for some hand sewing

Special Project Notes:

Finished Size: 3" wide by 7 1/4" long

Designs Used:
I used the medium size of the Wrought Iron Fruit Border design. Designs from the Savory Swirls Design Pack would also be a great choice. Or, select a border design that's smaller than the finished size of the protector (3" x 7 1/4").

First, click here to open a PDF file of the pattern piece. Print the pattern - it will print on one piece of 8 1/2" wide by 11" high paper.

Next, cut out the pattern piece. Then, pin the pattern piece on top of the solid-colored quilted cotton fabric and using an air-erase pen trace the shape.

Remove the pattern piece and then create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size using embroidery software. Position the template within the shape and center it side to side and end to end by measuring equal distances between the outer edges of the design and the edges of the shape. Also, make sure the outer edges of the design are at least 3/4" from the edges of the shape. Poke a hole in the center of the template and mark the fabric. Also, mark the horizontal and vertical axis points.

Remove the template and draw lines connecting the marks.

Next, spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is aligned directly over the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.

When the design has finished, carefully trim away the excess stabilizer from the backside of the embroidery.

Cut out the shape.

Then, lay the embroidered top piece on top of the print quilted cotton fabric, right sides together, pin in place, and cut out the shape. Then, sew a 1/2" seam along the side edges only - leave the straight short end open. Turn the fabric right side out - the outer shell of the protector is now complete.

To prepare the fabric for the inner lining, use the pattern piece to cut two pieces of the cotton fabric and two pieces of the Insul-bright insulated lining. Then, lay one of the Insul-bright pieces flat with the shiny side facing down. Align one of the cotton fabric pieces on top of the Insul-bright right side facing up. Then, align the remaining cotton fabric piece on top, wrong side up. Then, align the remaining Insul-bright piece on top with the shiny side facing up. Pin all the layers together and sew a 1/2" seam along the side edges only - leave the short end open.

Trim the seam allowance leaving about 1/8" excess. Insert the inner lining inside the outer shell, wrong sides together, pin in place, and tack the layers together by sewing a 1/8" seam along the entire opening.

I wanted to add a loop so that I could hang the protector when I wasn't using it.

To prepare the loop, cut a piece of the bias tape to 5" long and sew a seam along the open side. Form the tape into a loop and pin it in place along the bottom center of the outer shell with the raw edges aligned with the raw edge of the outer shell. Then, wrap the bias tape around the entire raw edge protector and pin in place (fold the end over 1/4" and wrap it around the start of the tape). Tack the loop in place by sewing back and forth over the loop along the bottom edge of the overlapping tape.

With needle and thread, hand-sew the tape in place by sewing along the entire bottom edge of the tape (sew through the bottom edges of the tape on the inside and out).

The finished "sleeve" slips right over the pan handle!

What's that yummy-looking creation in the pan? Well, I had to test the sleeve to make sure it was resistant to heat, so I made the most delicious batch of Dutch pancakes. I found the recipe at Martha Stewart's website, and they are amazingly good.

Click here for a printable version of these project instructions.