Potholder. Oven mitt. Hot mitt. Hot pad. Trivet? Is that stretching it?
These are all search terms I tried in an attempt to find a decent sewing tutorial for potholders on Pinterest. In the end I winged it – my best work tends to be freehand. Except drawing. I can’t draw, ever.

Dagny’s excellent instructions for making a potholder:

-Cut some squares. For each hot pad, you need two of pretty fabric – I like thicker, home dec. weights for this – and one of insul-brite, which is absolutely amazing and everyone should have some. It’s expensive though, so I waited until I found some in the remnant bin at Joann’s. Remnant size is plenty big enough for more potholders than you will ever need.
-Cut a rectangle for each hot pad in pretty fabric. They should be small – these are your useless little loopy bits. Well, they’re useless unless you’re Sophie the Dog who loves using potholders as tug of war toys.
-Fold your rectangles in half the long way with the right sides of the fabric together and sew ‘em shut, but leave an opening so you can turn it right side out! Then turn it right side out and topstitch around to close the opening.
-Put your pretty fabric right sides together and then lay your insul-brite square on top of that. Cross the ends of your little loopy bit and pin it between the two layers of pretty fabric. Sew around, but leave an opening for turning right side out! Then turn it right side out and topstitch around to close the opening. Done!