I'm making a bunch of pot holders, but am wondering what do you use if not using Insulbrite? I want to have them that they can be used to hold hot pans and such, but not that they are really thick.

What do you use?

Phyllis

This is probably not going to answer your question very well, because it sounds like you want to quilt "pretty" pot holders and these are strictly utilitarian, but maybe you'll like them too.

I buy those bags of six dozen white bar towels at Sam's Club and some of them, I make into pot holders or hot pads for the table. Before washing them, I put two towels together, serge them down the middle, then serge in the other direction to cut the double-layer of towels into four quarters and finish those edges. I serge the remaining open edges and each pair of towels makes four pot holders. I make 16 or 20 every time I need them. I also serge 4 or 5 towels in quarters, but in single layers for dish cloths.

These pot holder/hot pads can be tossed into the washer and bleached with hot water with all the other white kitchen towels and if they get too stained or worn, I just toss them out or move them to the rag bag for dirty jobs like furniture refinishing or sewing machine cleaning.

These towels are so cheap and practical - especially on those days when you have a lot of cooking going on and lots of counter-wiping and pans in and out of the oven. :)

Oh, and if I were making quilted pot holders, I would use one or two layers of 100% cotton low-loft. I would never use anything with polyester or mylar in it. (insulbrite)

Polymer materials give off toxic gases when they catch fire.

An all-cotton potholder will catch fire and burn, but the material isn't going to melt and smoke and off-gas stuff to irritate your eyes and throat and lungs. :)

I make them with either one layer of InsulBrite and two layers of batting underneath it or with the silver stuff that used to be on ironing board covers. I get the silver stuff from the Newark Dressmaker's catalog. I use two layers of batting with that and silver stuff toward the outside on the top and bottom, so two pieces of each per pot holder/hot pad.