{dala horse hot pad tutorial -- by the pickled herring}

I'm excited to share this little series of guest posts with you -- creative minds from near and far, who have focused their ideas on red, just for us. Today, we're welcoming Kathryn of The Pickled Herring, who has a tutorial for you on making your own Dala Horse hot pad...

Hello!  I was tickled red (ha) when Astrid asked me to do a guest post over here at Red Red Completely Red.  I love Astrid’s simple yet unique style and have loved reading her blog ever since I discovered it just over a year ago.  So thank you, Astrid, for letting me be part of your blog today!

Red. I, too, love red things, perhaps not quite as much as Astrid (or my husband, for that matter), but I love the boldness it can bring to a simple project.  Today I want to share how to do an inverted or reverse appliqué using red as the “popping” color.  The following will be a tutorial for a reverse appliquéd pot holder.

Gather your supplies:

Three 8 ½ inch x 8 ½ inch fabric squares: 2 the same color, 1 red (use a durable fabric)

One 8 ½ inch x 8 ½ inch square of quilting batting 

Scissors – a small, sharp pair would be best

Sewing machine/thread/needle

First things first, pick a simple shape (or a tricky one, if you feel daring).  Make a paper cutout of this shape.  I did a Swedish Dala Horse as my shape since I love all things Scandinavian and am currently doing a Dala Craftalong.

Next, cut out your 3 squares of fabric and 1 square of batting.  I used 2 black pieces of fabric for my main pieces and 1 square of red felt for the popping fabric.

Pin your popping fabric square behind one of your main squares.  Pin your cut-out shape onto the front of these two squares.  I pinned my cutout in the center, but you can change it up and put it on the lower corner or wherever you like.

You can either trace your image directly onto your fabric with a washable fabric marker or sew around the actual cutout.  I chose to sew around the cutout.  Do so very slowly and carefully.  Note: You should be sewing through 2 layers: the popping fabric and main fabric layers.  

Next, very, very, very carefully cut only the top layer out so that your other fabric peaks through.  I pull the popping layer back while I do this.  This is where the small, sharp scissors come in handy.

Be careful not to get too close to the edge.  You don’t want to cut the outline you sewed.

The hard part is over – yay! Now, place the layer of quilting batting behind your appliquéd squares.  Place your other main square on top, right sides together.  So your 4 squares should be in this order, from bottom to top, quilting batting, peaking fabric, main fabric with appliqué, main fabric.  Pin all sides together and sew around the edges, leaving a 2-inch gap in the center.

Trim the edges and trim the corners for an easier time turning it right-side out.  Turn right-side out through the 2-inch gap you left.  Fold the edges from the gap inward and pin.

Sew along the edges, about ¼ of an inch from the edge, starting with the pinned gap.

I like zig zag stitches so I added a zig zag border.

Now, bake or cook something hot so you can use your brand new reverse appliquéd hot pad!

Thanks again, Astrid, for letting me be here today!  I hope you all enjoyed the short tutorial!

Thank you, Kathryn! A beautiful way to carry your hot pots. I'm sure we'll all be by the check out your Dala Horse Craft-along. And, if you're looking for more Dala inspiration, check out my D is for Dala pinboard!