Potholder First Aid Kit: A Great Last Minute Gift for Anyone on Your List!

This is a project that can be completed in under a half an hour, is practical, and meets a need for everyone on your gift list. The supplies to make the actual kit are very affordable. The materials you choose to fill the kit with will be the factor that influences the cost of the project. There is a minuscule amount of hand and machine sewing involved, but even a total novice like me can handle it easily.

Take a trip to your local dollar store and pick up the following supplies: Rectangular pot holders with a loop (designed for hanging it up) in the center of one of the short sides (if the loop is in the corner, pass it up, you'll need the loop to close the kit; some buttons (small enough to fit through the loop of the pot holder) and a box of snack sized zip top bags. If the pot holder has a design on it that is printed on only one side, put it design side DOWN on your work surface and position it so that the hanging loop is on the right hand side (not the top or bottom).

Take 12 zip top bags and make two stacks of six bags. Arrange the two stacks so that the bottoms of the bags are touching and line them up in the center of the pot holder so that the tops of the bags are facing your right and left and the bottoms of the bags are lined up in the center of the pot holder. Using a few large pins, secure both stacks to the pot holder. Using a zigzag stitch, stitch through both the right -hand and the left -hand bag. Try to catch only as much of the bottom of the bag as you need to secure it to the pot holder because the more you sew through, the smaller you will make the interior of the bag. If your sewing machine cannot accommodate all 6 layers at once, you can sew through each layer individually. When you are finished, fold the pot holder in half, like a book, line up a button with the hanging loop and hand-sew the button to the outside of the pot holder. Wrap the hanging loop around the button to "close" the kit.

Now you can fill the kit with appropriate items such as
Band-aids
A pair of tweezers
Thermometer
Emery board
Nail clippers
Alcohol wipes
Individual packets of antibacterial ointment and acetaminophen
A roll of antacids
Cough drops
Hand sanitizer
Some safety pins or even a mini sewing kit for minor repairs

…..check out the Health and Beauty aisle of your local discount and/or dollar store for ideas. NOTE: This project could be personalized for a variety of recipients simply by adding a few items to the basic first aid supplies. For instance, add a tube of hydrocortisone cream and insect repellent wipes to the kit for the hiking enthusiast on your list, foam ear plugs for the frequent flyer, A & D Ointment for a kit suitable for a diaper bag, motion sickness wrist bands for a car kit, a travel size bottle of saline solution and a case for the contact lens wearer on your list or an eyeglass repair kit for a bespectacled friend.

Happy Crafting!