Old Leather Gloves or Boot Tongues Can Find A New Use
I needed to make another potholder for our cast iron skillets. I decided to make this one from the back of an old leather glove that Marilyn had worn out. And before you think, “Why don’t you just use the glove to pick up the pot dummy…”. Let me start by saying, Marilyn does NOT throw her gloves away until there’s almost nothing left to the palm and fingers. I’ll be sure to attach a picture of our doner glove below. Now if it were one of my gloves and any of the fingers were intact, you could simply cut that finger off and BOOM, instant potholder. But alas, her gloves are too small and too destroyed. Besides, making it yourself is not only more satisfying, it’s also MANLY!
Let’s Get Started With How I Use Scrap Leather To Make A Cast Iron Potholder
I’ll list all of the components that we’ll need for this project and describe how they are cut and assembled in the order that makes the most sense to me.
- One 4” x 5” scrap of leather
- One 20” length of leather cord or longer
- Free PDF pattern
The first thing we need to do is print and cut out the pattern I provided and confirm the dimensions are roughly 4” x 5”. Then trace this pattern onto your scrap leather.
Next, cut out your leather with either a sharp blade or if the leather is thin enough, a pair of scissors.
Then using the pattern to mark the holes, punch them out at a size that will allow your leather cord to pass snuggly through. Don’t punch holes that are too big. Though it may be tempting and look fancier, don’t use metal grommets for the holes as they will get extremely hot when used on a hot pan. They will leave an interesting branding design on your palm or fingers (a very painful experience) but it is definitely not a recommended feature, trust me!
Then all that is left is to lace it up starting at the “open” end of the potholder using a crisscross pattern of under, over, under, over, under, over and then knotting it off with a simple double overhand knot. You can then knot the remaining tags of cord to form a loop at the end so that you can hang it when not in use. Note: Using leather cordage instead of paracord or other synthetic fibers prevents melting and the use of strong language.
If my description for lacing the potholder is confusing, refer to the diagram below or watch the attached video for a clearer example.
I hope this inspires you to make use of what most people would simply throw away. Be creative and see the potential in everything before it gets tossed out.
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