Sewing a microwave-safe casserole cozy with the PFAFF creative expression 750

Yesterday, I talked about the machines I will use for these holiday projects. I will cut the fabric and batting with the SINGER MOMENTO 24” Craft Cutting Machine and sew them together on the PFAFF creative expression 750 Sewing and Embroidery Machine.

Cutting and sewing my holiday gifts

Today, I’ll walk you through step by step, how I’m making the 8½” x 8½” casserole cozy that I’m gifting at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s loose-fitting for glass and metal pans. I can buy the casserole dish, fill it, and take it to any party or event. The sides are tall, allowing them to fold down over the handles as hot pads. Great pattern! Here we go.

Materials you’ll need

• 16” x 18” rectangle of 100% cotton fabrics for each, green and pumpkin print fabrics
• 16” x 18” rectangles of 100% cotton batting, Bosal Katahdin Quickie Wrap
• a spool of 100% cotton green sewing thread

Why the casserole cozy makes a perfect hostess gift

I read a book called The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, and it gave me an idea for a “pay it forward” kind of Thanksgiving / Christmas present. During the Holidays, we are often invited to many events where we always want to take a hostess gift. Food, or wine, is the usual theme. But why not buy a simple casserole dish (8½” x 8½”), fill it with food, put it in a fun holiday-themed cozy, and take it? The casserole dish and cozy are the Hostess’s present; the food is your share for the event. Afterwards, the casserole dish (which we all have plenty of) can be passed on with the cozy if desired in a Pay-it-Forward kind of theme.

If you don’t have the inclination to cook, then fill it with store-bought goodies, brownie cake mixes, cheese and crackers, frozen hors d’oeuvres, etc.

Creating the pattern in CREATIVATE Draw & Paint

To make sure my new cutting file would be accurate, I set up a 1” grid in the CREATIVATE Draw & Paint software and matched it to my printed reference for proportion. This allowed me to size my own outline correctly before finalizing the design. I used the grid as a guide to confirm scale and shape, keeping my original lines clear for easy editing later. Once satisfied, I saved the file for future adjustments and exported it as an SVG to prepare it for cutting in the CREATIVATE Crafting Software for the SINGER MOMENTO 24” Craft Cutting Machine.

Once I have my cutting file, I need to cut a front from the print fabric, a back from tone-on-tone fabric, and two layers of 100% cotton batt, BOSAL Katahdin Quickie Wrap, 45 x 36. I spent an afternoon cutting all the pieces front, back, and 2 layers of 100% batting for ALL the Thanksgiving and Christmas cozies that I am putting together for the holidays.

Cut the batting last, as it really gets the cutting mat ‘linty’. All fabrics, batting, and thread must be made from 100% cotton to prevent fires in the microwave. If you’re only using the cozy as a hot pad, then they can be made from a mixed cotton/poly blend.

Quilting the layers on the PFAFF creative expression 750

Making the cozy is easy and the same for all the different shapes and types. Today, I’m walking you through all the steps, stitching together an 8½” x 8½” casserole cozy.

1. Set up your PFAFF creative expression 750 Sewing and Embroidery machine with a quilting needle and cotton sewing thread, in a 3mm straight stitch.
2. Layer the fabric over a layer of the batting, front and back, in a sandwich.
3. Quilt an X in the center of each sandwich. It was easy, using cotton thread and the IDT on the PFAFF creative expression 750.

4. Stitch up the four corners of the casserole cozy. The two sides are not the same length on purpose, using a healthy ¼” seam, to catch all the fabric and batting edges.

5. Put the fabric sides together and clip the outer edges together using Clover Wonder Clips, ready to sew. Sew a ¼” seam all around the outside edge of the casserole cozy, leaving a 3” opening along the fitted side.

6. Clip the corners in a fringe-type effect so that the cozy turns the right side out.

7. Press out the corners with a stiletto and then press around the edge, clipping again with the Clover Wonder Clips.

8. Top stitch the edge, closing the opening and setting the edges in place. The improved piercing power of the PFAFF creative expression 750 made this a breeze, especially in the corners!

Join me tomorrow, when I show you just how many cozies I did cut out! The PFAFF creative expression 750 is a new Sewing and Embroidery machine, which I’m using to sew all the cozies together, which by the way, are varied.

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Get Holiday-Ready with the PFAFF creative expression 750 & SINGER MOMENTO