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One of a pair, it's almost perfect: the size and the thickness fit my hand to a tee and it keeps the heat at bay when I'm slinging pans in the oven. However, I've never been wild about the heavy binding. And so, as my potholders got shabbier and shabbier, I kept an eye out for replacements ... thick terry cloth cotton in just the right size without a heavy binding. No luck.
Then I decided to try making my own and bought some "metalized polyester" insulating material. Hmmm ... wasn't really thrilled about that. On a mission, I looked through my fabric stash to see what else was on hand and came up with a felted wool skirt and a cotton diaper (unused).
It was a short leap to the idea of a competition to see which would work best ...
I decided to use Japaese zokin (dust cloths composed of layers stitched together boro-style) as a model, which would eliminate the edge binding. Having made unbound burp cloths for the latest grandchild last summer, I checked in with my daughter who reports that the edges have held up well to repeated laundering. They have also held their shape better than the earlier bibs and burp cloths that were made with a turned edge ...
Of course, those were machine sewn, so it will be interesting to see how hand-sewn edges hold up.
Turning my thoughts to the outer layers, I decided to try rust-dyed cotton versus lichen dyed linen ...
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But before I go too much further, I'm doing a reality check. Does anyone out there have any enlightening experiences to share?
