Friday, January 24, 2020

The Gray Potholders

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned I was making a couple of potholders for a friend of my daughter's, and M had requested I use gray fabrics.

She stopped in and picked out some fabrics from the (scant) grays I had in my stash.  I, personally, would never have chosen grays, but have been pleasantly surprised at the attractiveness of the finished product.


The fronts of the potholders.


And the backs.


Here's a close up to show the fabrics
a little more clearly.

M and her husband, J, share cooking duties at their house and J had put in a request for a smaller potholder than the first ones I had made for them.  We gals (M, my daughter and I) questioned why his "bigger hands" would want a smaller potholder . . . but we aim to please so his is the smaller one shown.

Gotta say the particular block M picked out for J's potholder was a bit of a challenge.  All those small triangles cut on the bias made for a not-so-square block when I got them all put together.  Another lesson learned that some old-fashioned blocks (this one is Aunt Mary's Double Irish Chain) don't go together as easily as others.  (In my opinion, Aunt Mary must have been a glutton for punishment.  Or a really, really good quilter who loved a challenge.)

I'm glad I was forced to use the gray fabrics, colors I would never have chosen myself as I tend toward brighter colors with more contrast.  Just shows to go, that working outside the box every now and then is a very good thing.

 

19 comments:

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

They turned out very nice! I delivered my gray hot pads before I could take a picture of it. Oops.

Vera said...

Such delicate fingers you must have to be able to craft such lovely items. I don't have such delicacy of touch which is why I like random patchwork!

Susan said...

Such beautiful work, as always! I know I treasure my MP potholders!

tpals said...

Speaking of a really, really good quilter...you do beautiful work, Mama.

Goatldi said...

Love them and what a great job!

Perhaps the hubby is a “handle wrapper “? I am and a smaller pot holder would decrease the over lap and bulk than the more traditional size?

Joyce F said...

Really pretty gray pot holders. What do you use for padding in your pot holders?

Nancy In Boise said...

Nice!

wisps of words said...

They are beautiful, and obviously, a lot of work!

Now I just have to know!!!! -grin- What are the colors of her kitchen???????? That she wanted gray pot holders!

Wonder if they are very bright, and she needed a more subdued accessory... Gray?

Or.... Is her kitchen, all in shades of white and gray?

Or maybe... Gray, white and pops of Red???

Inquiring minds want to know!!!!!!!!!! >,-))))

¨ *•.¸ðŸ’›¸.•* ¨

Lynne said...

They are lovely! I wouldn't of thought the grey's would turn out so well together, but they are really nice. Great work!! xo

Sam I Am...... said...

They turned out great! The younger generation is really into the grays for everything! My daughter too...I don't get it but to each their own. I have gray hair and it's alright but I'm thinking maybe I should dye it those pretty colors they're using nowadays....like bright pink or purple! LOL!

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - I just hate it when I give something away without remembering to take a picture! Ugh.

Vera - Thank you! But look how talented you are musically . . . and I have absolutely NO talent in that field!

Susan - You better be using them so I can make you more when the need arises!

tpals - That's so nice of you to say. Quilting is something I really enjoy . . . except when that little 6" block took me THREE HOURS yesterday to make. And that was just the top!

Goatldi - You may have a point there about J being a "handle wrapper!" That would explain it.

Joyce F - Thank you. I use one layer of Warm and Natural (a tightly woven cotton batting) and one layer of Insul-Bright which is like batting but reflects back on itself to keep heat from penetrating out onto your hand.

Thanks, Nancy!

wisps of words - M's kitchen is white and gray with pops of turquoise! The kitchen is open onto the living room and she's used a lot of turquoise in the living room. With a big gray sectional couch. Looks good. For the first pair I made for her, my daughter suggested I use turquoise which I did and M liked them. Probably the request for gray this time around was for something different.

Lynne - Thank you! As my daughter pointed out, the grays probably won't show the stains and wearing as much as other colors might! And, yes, I did like the way the three gray fabrics looked together, too.

Sam I Am - Well, that just shows how out of it I am! I had no idea the color gray was that popular now. Yes, I think you should go for some wild colors in your hair! A week or so ago, I saw a 30-ish gal in town. She had medium brown hair and what we used to call a short pageboy haircut with pink, purple and yellow narrow bands of color in it. It actually looked pretty darn good! So I think that's what you should do. But you MUST post a picture of it for all of us to see! ;o)

DFW said...

Mama Pea, They are beautiful & well done your part. My 1st project after retirement was to make a gray baby quilt which I didn't think I'd like. Don't babies need bright colors to inspire development & creaticity? But, it turned out very nice & while not my taste for a nursery, wound up being one of the Mother's favorite gifts. Like you said, we all need to think outside the box once in awhile.

Mama Pea said...

DFW - A gray baby quilt! Who would have chosen that? But, as you say, it was lovely and if the mother called it one of her favorite gifts, what could be better than that? Reminds me that when my daughter was an infant, I discovered she looked really good in black. Black?! How could I dress an infant in black? Have to confess I never did . . . but to this day (40-some years later!), she still looks good in black.

SmartAlex said...

I love them! I don't decorate with grey but I have a lot of it in my wardrobe. Those would look great with modern farmhouse decor. Grey kitchen cabinets are very popular now.

wisps of words said...

MAMA PEA

Thank you for answering my question, about the kitchen, of the lady, for whom you made the potholders. -smile-

*•.¸ðŸ’›¸.•*

Mama Pea said...

SmartAlex - Thank you! Gray kitchen cabinets are popular now? Shows I'm not up with current decorating colors, that's for sure. Although, gray cabinets would be a lot easier to keep looking good than the white ones I always thought I would like . . . and then found they showed every smudge and spot that required washing constantly. I still like the way they look, but to my mind they're not very practical. Gray would certainly be an "easier" color for kitchen cabinets!

wisps of words - You're so welcome!

Retired Knitter said...

I LOVE them. They would fit perfectly in my kitchen. My counter top is gray. Not what I picked since it was already here when we moved in. But with the right accessories, it is ok. Those pot holders are the right accessories. Hahaha! If they don't like them, let me know. I will buy them off of you.

Mama Pea said...

Retired Knitter - M stopped by and picked them up on Friday and she seemed very pleased with them. Haven't heard anything yet on how her husband liked the new, reduced size one! Don't know about you, but I usually need two potholders (to take a dish or cookie sheet out of the oven) but maybe he cooks with cast iron skillets that don't have a heat-proof handle. Men. Can we ever figure them out? ;o)

Peter parker said...
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