Quick and Easy Gifts

 Here is a fast and easy project...seriously! If you just remembered that your needed a gift for a lady...give these a try. A set of four takes only 1-2 hours.

Some might call them "hot pads" but, I like to use them to hold a plate of food right out of the microwave. They are thinner than standard kitchen hot pads...so, if you wanted to use them that way...just double up.

Supplies: One 10" square of cotton batting, Five 10" squares of fabric.

Step One: Fold four of the fabric on the diagonal and press.

Step Two: Layer the remaining non-folded square on top of the batting square.

Step Three: Place one folded fabric piece on top of this unit, matching the corners.

Step Four: Rotate the unit counter-clockwise and lay the next folded fabric piece on top, matching corners.

Step Five: Repeat Step Four to layer the third corner.

Step Six: Lift the first folded square and place the last (4th) corner into place.

Step Seven: Lay the lifted corner back into place. This is how the assembled project should look.

Step Eight: Pin all the corners into place. Sew around all four sides (seam allowance is 3/8" or 1/2")

Step Nine: Trim off corners.

Step Ten: Trim excess batting within the seam allowance. Hint: Duckbill Scissors are great for this task!

Step Eleven: Turn right-side-out by pushing out each corner and hand pressing flat. You should now have the folds on the opposite side of the solid fabric piece, with the batting in the middle.

Last Step: Press nicely, wrap and present as a gift!