Grandma's Potholders

My grandmother made these potholders (or hot pads) to pass the time after my grandfather passed away. They were married for over 60 years. She would get the fabrics from Walmart and play around with the different designs. She sat at her old 50s-era Singer sewing machine for hours at a time making these for friends and family, who deeply appreciated them. Her grandchildren began asking for her potholders to give as gifts to friends, which really took off in unexpected ways. My brother and I knew many different kinds of people from our years in graduate school, so we started sending them to friends all over the country, and the world. We asked those folks to send our grandma Martha a postcard from where they lived, which they did. Over all, she received dozens of cards from all 50 states and six continents. She was proudest of the postcard from Japan – she couldn’t believe her potholders made it so far! She died at age 91, and the remaining potholders are deeply cherished.

Contributed by: Stace Treat
Created by: Martha Wilken, grandmother
Origin: Mountain Home, AR