Tool Time Tuesday...Easy Casserole Carriers, Gift Ideas

This week's projects are helpful, quick gift ideas for the holidays. Are you familiar with the cooking show Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee on the Food Network? She takes store bought items and adds fresh ingredients to make a great semi homemade dish.

Well, today these 2 tutorials are Semi-Handmade...purchased place mats plus your special touch with ribbons or fabric and they are turned into bread and casserole carriers. Great gifts for neighbors, friends, teachers and hostess gifts.

The carrier can be the gift itself or you can purchase a new casserole dish or bread pan and add your favorite recipe. Bake the bread in the pan, wrap it up in the new carrier and tie the recipe to the ribbon. A fast, easy and homemade gift that everyone will love!

The first tutorial is this carrier made with one place mat and some ribbon.



The second tutorial is a casserole dish carrier made with 2 place mats, ribbon or a strip of fabric.



Tutorial #1...I purchased this place mat new at a consignment shop for 75 cents, but if you look for sales on place mats you can buy them fairly cheap.

Have your place mat on your work surface the long side on the bottom and fold in half.

Measure all three sides and find the center...(don't measure the folded edge)

Mark the half way point on all three sides and both layers...see there are 2 pins on each side.

When you unfold it, there will be 6 points that are marked with pins.

Next, measure 6 pieces of ribbon 12 inches long. I used 1/4 inch wide ribbon, but any size will work.

Here are your 6 cut pieces.

I folded over the end a little so it wouldn't fray and to add some support when I sewed it to the place mat.

Pin all 6 pieces on the WRONG side of the place mat to each of the pre marked spots you had marked with the pins.

All 6 ribbons pinned to the wrong side.

Stitch back and forth a few times for strength.

All stitched on.

I baked this pumpkin bread in one of those aluminum pans to show you how inexpensive the whole gift could be. I bought that pan for 27 cents in a discount store. That bread looks a little dark, but it was delicious. I love anything pumpkin! Just place it in the carrier...

Tie the ribbons together and your little bundle of goodies are ready to give away...now how fast is this gift!

The side ribbons keep the pan from sliding out.

See the bread all safe and warm...

This is a perfect little gift to bring with you when visiting for Thanksgiving. However, Christmas is just around the corner, so find a Christmas place mat, a red or green one and bake a cranberry bread or a batch of cookies.

Here is tutorial #2...Casserole Dish carrier

You will need 2 place mats. You can't see that price tag, but these were $1.29 each. Woo Hoo!

I also used a strip of fabric from a Jelly Roll that I had. Jelly roll fabric is 2 1/2 inches wide by the full width of fabric (about 42 inches long). You could also just use ribbon or strapping.

If you are using a 2 1/2 inch wide fabric strip, just fold it in half, right sides together...

and stitch down the 2 long sides, leaving the end open.

Turn right side out.

Iron flat.

For the main handle you could add webbing or strapping for stability.

Take one place mat, fold in half, find the center and mark with pins.

Place your ribbon or the handle that you've made on the center marks and trim to fit the exact width of the place mat.

With the extra fabric or ribbon, pin pieces to the center of the short sides of both place mats and sew in place. Just as an FYI...I made mine with the left over strip cut in half, but they were too short. Make yours a little longer than mine. These will be the ties that keep the dish from falling out. You could also use Velcro.

Now place both place mats right sides together...make sure both ends with the ties are on the same side.

Sew on all three sides...not the opening end that has the ties.

Turn right side out and you are done...another fast project and so inexpensive.

Just slip in your casserole dish and you are off to the party!!

Tie it closed to keep the yummy food inside.

The thick quilted place mats keep the hot casserole dish warm too if you were bringing it to a dinner.

and off you go...

Remember, you can just give the carriers as a gift in itself. You can also purchase new dishes to add to it and bake something special to add even more.

With times being so hard for most people these days, fast and inexpensive gifts are welcome ideas, but I know most people really appreciate the time spent with a hand made gift...well Semi Handmade in this case.

Have a wonderful Tuesday,

~Karen~

I'm linking to...Under The Table and Dreaming Party