Crazy Patchwork Trivet (In-the-Hoop)

Bring timeless charm to your kitchen with this crazy patchwork trivet, stitched entirely in-the-hoop! Your choice of fabrics accented by dainty, decorative stitching makes a unique accent for your own kitchen -- and a perfect hostess gift, too! We'll show you step-by-step how to stitch your own.

Supplies & Materials:

Project Needs & Notes:

Small pieces of quilter's cotton
Insul-Bright
Embroidery thread
Tear-away stabilizer
Temporary spray adhesive (such as Gunold KK100)
Scissors
Ribbon for hanger (optional)
Masking tape

Designs featured in this tutorial include:

Winged Whimsy Butterfly (In-the-Hoop)

Gather Materials:

When you download the in-the-hoop trivet design, you will find multiple files. Some are the embroidery files, and the others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size.

Open each dieline file with an embroidery software, and print it.

Stack of pastel fabric squares in pink, blue, mint, white, and coral on a dark wood surface next to printed pattern sheets with a heart and star design.

First spray one side of a piece of Insul-Bright with temporary adhesive. Smooth the Insul-Bright batting onto the wrong side of the back fabric piece.

Square white quilted fabric piece with a large pink heart shape appliquéd in the center, placed on a dark wooden surface.

Then spray the back side of the printed back piece dieline with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the right side of the back fabric.

White terry cloth square with a pink fabric heart shape pinned to the center; a paper heart template with diagonal and vertical guidelines is pinned on top.

Cut the back dieline shape out of the adhered fabric and Insul-Bright. Then remove the paper dieline.

Light pink fabric cut in the shape of a heart, resting on a dark wood surface.

Next spray the back of all of the remaining paper dielines with temporary adhesive. Then smooth them onto the right side of the appropriate fabrics.

Four fabric pieces in red, pink, blue, and teal with paper patterns pinned or stitched on top, laid out on a dark wood surface.

Cut out all the remaining dieline pieces. These should only be fabric, and should not have Insul-Bright on the back.

Orange-handled scissors on a dark wood surface next to fabric pieces cut into shapes: a heart split into three segments with blue and white patterns, and a pink rectangular strip.

Start Embroidering:

Once all the fabric pieces are cut to the correct shapes, it's time to embroider the design.

Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Madeira E-Zee 1.5 oz or Floriani Tearaway Medium are good choices. Those brands are more fibrous, less like paper, and will tear more cleanly.

Embroidery hoop with white tear-away stabilizer hooped, laid on a dark wooden surface. No embroidery or design is visible within the hoop.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the embroidery file (not the dieline files).

Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. The sharp sewing needle has a finer point, and it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.

Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a large triangle outline with blue thread on a piece of fabric hooped in a clear embroidery frame.

After the first dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the wrong side of the first fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Embroidery hoop with stabilizer fabric and a small triangular piece of light blue fabric with white floral print stitched in the center, on a wooden surface.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine, and embroider the tackdown for the first fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a small, blue triangular fabric piece with a white floral pattern, secured on a white fabric background.

Then follow the color change sheet, and sew the next dieline step. This marks the area on the stabilizer for the next fabric piece.

Sewing machine stitching a blue triangular fabric piece with small white flower patterns onto a transparent stabilizer hooped in a frame.

Repeat to remove the hoop from the machine, spray the wrong side of the next fabric piece, and smooth it inside the sewn dieline. Then embroider the tackdown step.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a pink fabric heart shape next to a blue fabric triangle with a small floral pattern on a transparent sewing hoop.

Then continue to follow the color change sheet, and sew the dieline for the next fabric piece.

Close-up of a sewing machine foot stitching a blue fabric triangle with small white flower patterns next to a pink scalloped fabric piece on a transparent embroidery hoop.

Repeat again to remove the hoop from the machine, spray the wrong side of the fabric piece, place it inside the sewn dieline, and embroider the tackdown step.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a heart-shaped fabric patchwork with three sections in pink, blue with white patterns, and light blue with small dots on white stabilizer.

Once the bottom front fabric pieces are stitched in place, embroider all the inner details until you reach the next dieline step. Embroider the dieline, but make sure to stop before sewing the accompanying tackdown step.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a heart-shaped patchwork fabric piece with blue floral embroidery and red guide lines on a white stabilizer.

After the dieline has sewn, again remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the wrong side of the fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Embroidery hoop with gray stabilizer fabric holds a heart-shaped patchwork design. The heart has sections of solid pink, blue florals, blue polka dots, and a vertical red strip stitched with blue floral embroidery.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine, and embroider the tackdown for the fabric piece.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a heart-shaped patchwork piece with fabric sections in blue, red, pink, and turquoise, featuring decorative blue embroidery.

Follow the color change sheet and embroider the remaining details of the design. Make sure to stop before sewing the "back piece tackdown" step.

Embroidery machine stitching a heart-shaped patchwork design with blue, pink, red, and teal fabric pieces featuring floral and polka dot patterns.

Before sewing the "back piece tackdown" step, remove the hoop from the machine, and turn it over so the back side of the embroidery is facing up. To add a hanger onto the trivet, cut a length of ribbon 7" long, and make it into a loop. Then tape the loop into place along the top center edge of the trivet.

Embroidery hoop with white stabilizer holding a patchwork heart design stitched in red and blue thread, secured with pink ribbon taped at the top right.

Then spray the Insul-Bright side of the back piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery, with the Insul-Bright against the stabilizer.