See that I missed one of your questions, Bear.....sorry. If I make anything larger than 6" I no longer call it a "pot holder".....it then becomes a "hot pad" which I would spend more time on in so far as patchwork or applique because, typically, mine don't get very soiled. On the other hand, my pot holders get messy pretty quickly so they are utilitarian and, for that reason, they aren't fancy and I never waste time putting that little hanging thingee on them unless they're strictly for decoration.