Saturday, October 23, 2010

Casserole Carrier {Tutorial}


I am really excited to share this with all of you. This is unlike any other casserole carrier you have ever seen. I love that the handles are made of fabric and are not wooden dowels. I think it gives the carrier more stability. I also like that it is lined with Insul-Bright to keep your casserole dishes warm or cold while transporting. With that said, I do not recommend taking dishes directly from the oven and placing into carrier. It may work, but I'm not going to try that one. Just let the dish cool a bit first. The carrier is made of all machine washable fabrics, so wash away. I suggest line drying instead of placing into the dryer. Casserole carrier will hold a 8x12 or 9x13 rectangular pan. (Please forgive me on the pictures. I hope you are all able to see my stitches. I used the darkest fabric I had and used white thread. But I was taking these pictures in the middle of the night and the lighting was not so good.)

Don't let all the steps scare you. I tried to make this tutorial as easy as possible for everyone to follow along. It really is easy. Your just taking two pieces of fabric and making a cross with them and attaching some handles. I hate to think that my ideas are basic, but they are!

Materials Needed:

*Insul-Bright (1 yard)
*medium or light weight cotton fabric (2 yards of fabric)
*2" wide Velcro ( 24" of 2" wide Velcro)


Let's get started!


We will be cutting materials along the way instead of cutting all of the materials ahead of time.
Cut two pieces of Insul-Bright to the following sizes: 30" X 15" and 37" X 12"

Cut two pieces of fabric slightly larger then the 30" X 15" and 37" X 12" pieces of Insul-Bright.
You don't have to be too picky on cutting out the fabric pieces because you will be trimming them later. I just find it quicker to sew the pieces together this way and trim the fabric off later. Plus it saves you time from having to cut out the pieces of fabric to the correct size.

Gather the 30" X 15" piece of insul-bright and the two pieces of fabric that you cut out to go along with it. Take the two pieces of fabric and lay flat with right sides facing and now place the Insul-Bright on top of the fabric like shown.

Sew all around pinned pieces using the edge of insul-bright as your guide. Leave a 3" opening for turning right side out.

**note: I changed the foot on my machine to H at this point. It is a plastic foot that glides over the Insul-Bright instead of getting caught up on the material. I didn't do this on my first casserole carrier but did it on this one and it made a huge difference. Change foot back once finished sewing directly on the Insul-Bright.**

Trim excess fabric except where the opening is, you want to leave that section a little longer so that when you turn right sides out it will tuck and sew shut nicely. Don't forget to square off corners. Now pull fabric out through opening.
Iron and push out corners so that they are nicely pointed. Now top stitch around the entire piece of fabric.

Repeat with the 37" x 12" of Insul-Bright and fabric pieces.
Pieces should look like this now.
Lay the pieces out on top of each other making a cross like pictured below.
Make sure the 37" X 12" piece is on top.

Line them up straight. The right side of the 37" x 12" piece sticks out about 10".

And measures 9" up from the bottom.
Mark on the bottom piece of fabric where the top piece of fabric is positioned on it. Make sure you make marks onto the top piece of fabric where the bottom piece is positioned underneath it as well. This doesn't mean anything now, but it will help in later steps.

Now place a casserole dish in the center of the two pieces and fold closed. Fold the 37" x 12" piece close first then fold the 30" x 15" piece closed next.

Now you are going to feel for the top of the casserole dish and make a mark on the fabric where the top of the dish is. This mark will tell you where to stop sewing when attaching the handles.
See my little mark? Now take a ruler and extend that mark the entire length of the fabric to show where the top of the casserole dish is. Repeat on the opposite side.

Set aside for now.

Now it is time to make the handles.

Cut four pieces of fabric 40" X 2 1/2". Cut two pieces of flannel or batting the same size. Layer with the flannel on the bottom and the two pieces of fabric right sides facing on top of the flannel.

Sew together on both sides, the entire length of the pieces. Flip right side out, iron and top stitch.

Handles should look like this.
Time to attach the handles you just made. Gather the 30" x 15" piece, this is the piece you will be attaching the handles to.
Remember the marks you made earlier when you used the casserole dish as a guide? well, this is where those marks you made from the top of the casserole dish come in handy. See them on the picture above?
You will want to line up the handles as pictured above. Make sure they are evenly spaced and about 3" in from the edge. Make sure the middle of the handles are in the middle of the piece of fabric. You don't want lop sided handles.


Sew the handles on. Use the top stitch that you did on the handles as a guide, and stitch right on top of those stitches again. Do not sew past the marks on the fabric showing you where the top of your casserole dish will be. You want to make sure you sew straight lines. These will be seen on the bottom of the carrier.


Pieces should look like this now.

Now it is time to attach the two pieces together.Line the pieces up again like you did when you first made the cross. Remember the 37" X 12" fabric is on top and the fabric with the handles is on the bottom. Pin in place.

Do not sew directly on the marked lines. Sew in a little about. See where I made my stitches? Again, I wanted to make sure my stitches lined up with the stitches on the bottom piece. These stitches will be seen from the bottom. It will just make it look neater on the bottom of the carrier.

This is what the bottom of the carrier looks like now.

See how nicely the stitches line up on the bottom?

Time to attach the Velcro. Lay carrier flat, place casserole dish inside and pin Velcro in place where you want it.

Play with the pieces and see where you would like them most. Here is where I placed mine. I placed it in about 2" from the edge. I used a 2" wide Velcro so that I can use this carrier for two sized pans.


Time to finish the handles. I prefer to make little padded sections to attach the handles together.
To make the padded handles, cut four pieces of fabric and flannel (or batting) 6 1/2" X 3"

Layer them like so, with 1 piece of flannel, 2 pieces of fabric right sides facing, and the last piece of flannel on top.

Sew sides together, leaving ends open.

Turn right right side out and iron. Fold ends in about 1/2" and iron again.


Slide ends of handles into the middle of the padded handle. Make sure the handles are evenly lined up. You don't want a lop sided carrier!

Pin and sew in place on the ends of padded handle.

The fabrics are pretty thick at this point and I had a hard time sewing through all the layers until I switched needles. I can't remember the last time I changed my needle, it's actually kinda embarassing.


Cut two pieces of fabric 5"X 2"

Sew together the two pieces of fabric, right sides facing. Leave a 1 1/2" opening for turning right side out.
Turn right side out through opening, iron and top stitch.

Sew the Velcro on. Make sure the Velcro is sewn on opposite sides and ends like in the picture above. The hook on the bottom front and the loop on the top back of piece of fabric.
Fold spoon holder in half and mark where the center is. Now measure 1/2" away from the center on the right and left sides. These marks will be where you want to sew the spoon holder onto the carrier. This way it will keep the spoon from wobbling too much.

You are finished!

**This tutorial is for personal use only! If you are going to link up and use my pictures, please link back to this post and don't forget to give credit where credit is due! **

I hope you will find some time to sew one up. I would say it takes about 3-4 hours from start to finish to make one of these. You will have a little extra fabric and Insul-Bright left over, so sew up some matching hot pads or oven mitts to go along with the carrier. If you make one using this tutorial, please email me a picture or add it to my flickr group, I would love to see it.

Tutorial updated: January 5, 2011

73 comments:

  1. Thank you sooooo much. I LOVE this carrier!!! How much material (cotton) would you say to buy...1 yards, 1 1/2 yards or more? I can't wait to make this for myself:)

    Tessa
    www.kurtessa@yahoo.com

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  2. I love this! I have been searching for a pattern or tutorial for this style of casserole carrier but all I can find is round ones or versions that use dowels. I am bookmarking this right now for not-too-distant-future use!

    Rochelle @ http://homesweethomebodies.blogspot.com

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  3. Hooray for casserole carriers!!! Love this idea! I can't wait to find time to make one :)

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  4. GORGEOUS annnnnnnnnnd THANK YOU!

    I'm making one this weekend! I'll send you pics. :)

    Cheers!
    Erin

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  5. THANX FOR THE TUTORIAL!!!!!!
    I am gonna make some as a present! i love these cuties!!!!!

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  6. I am in love with this project! I have a boring navy generic casserole carrier BUT this one will be the talk of the next church get together! Now I need to find the time to make one!

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  7. This is great thank for the tutorial i am sure my mum and MIL would love one of these!

    I would love it if you linked this up to Sew Crafty Saturday over at Sew Chic and Unique!

    Mayya @ Sew Chic and Unique

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  8. love love love this! I may make this for my mom and grandmother for Christmas. I am totally doing a handmade Christmas and I have been trying to come up with something for them!! Oh & if you have time I'd love for you to come link up to Handmade Tuesdays @ Ladybug Blessings next Tuesday! www.ladybug-blessings.com

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  9. how cute is this? thanks for sharing a tutorial!

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  10. I love this idea! I'm definitely going to have to make a few of these for Christmas presents! And the fabric you used is so cute! Love it!

    Visiting from Crazy Domestic!

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  11. About twice a year I wish I had one of these, but I've never seen a pattern I like--until yours! This is fabulous! Thanks!

    ~mandy

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  12. Great tutorial. I like that you added a place for the spoon.

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  13. Love it! hope to try this. thanks for awesome tutorial!

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  14. I have been dying to make this since you posted your original a while back. Thank you so much for taking the time to make such and excellent tutorial.
    I made one and love it!!!!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/72406419@N00/5170966322/

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  15. i absolutely love this! I would like to feature it on my blog smallfineprint.blogspot.com

    If that is ok, please email me at smallfineprint@gmail.com

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  16. I've got a new blog and your carrier is my first feature! I'd love for you to stop by and grab a button! todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com

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  17. Can you please clarify what you meant by "**note: I changed the foot on my machine to H. It is one of the plastic feet. This made a huge difference.**? Maybe post a picture of that foot? I am very excited to try this project but I am a newbie at sewing and I am not sure exactly what you mean...

    Thanks!

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  18. Hi Erica, When I purchased my machine it came with a few different types of feet in the storage compartment. The foot is a cream colored plastic and is labeled H. It slides nicely over the fabric because it has a very smooth bottom.

    http://www.sewingstyle.com/viewproduct1609.html

    Here is a picture of what it looks like. You can make one without changing feet, but I found that the insul-bright got caught on my usual metal foot. Hope this helps clarify it more for you. Let me know if you have anymore questions!! Thanks!

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  19. wonderful - that makes perfect sense. Thank you. I don't have a teflon foot like that - I do have a clear plastic foot that is the same shape - but I will try it with the metal foot first because it feels smoother than the plastic one.

    One other question that occurred to me after I hit submit last night... You say "I had a hard time sewing through all the layers until I switched needles." - As in switched to a heavier duty needle (like a denim/leather #16 needle) or switched to a sharp new regular #14 needle?

    Sorry if these are obvious questions - I am pretty much teaching myself to sew on my mom's 1970 era sewing machine and I don't want to screw it up.

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  20. Yes, I switched to a larger needle. Don't worry about asking questions. I am self taught and I'm still learning too!

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  21. Yay -- this is just what I was looking for. This is only my 3rd project I have sewed by myself, but your tutorial made it easy. Mine is not as tidy as your carrier, but I am still pretty excited. Hopefully when I try to make my SIL another one for Xmas I will work out all my newbie bugs. Thanks!!!

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  22. Thanks again for another GREAT tutorial. I just made this last week to give as a wedding shower gift. It was quick and easy to make, loved it!
    http://nicholleandherboys.blogspot.com/2010/11/time.html

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  23. I love this! I've always wanted a carrier but never wanted to buy one....now I can make my own!

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  24. Thanks for the tuturial, I just finished making mine. The pictures you provided made it so easy, thinking of making a couple more and hey why not make myself one while I am at it. Will email you the pictures or you can find them at my site..

    www.txlady2018.blogspot.com
    Thanks again. I love it.

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  25. Just finished making one for a Christmas gift. Hope my sister-in-law loves it. I will post on my blog with links to you after she gets it! Thanks for the tutorial/pattern.

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  26. Here's a link to my finished casserole dish carrier. Thanks for the pattern.
    http://keepingmycents.blogspot.com/2011/01/homemade-casserole-dish-carrier.html

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  27. I used your tutorial (finally!) to make several of these for Christmas! I really love how they turned out. I posted about it on my blog- linking to you of course!
    http://homesweethomebodies.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-christmas-gifts-kitchen-edition.html
    Thanks again for sharing!
    -Rochelle

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  28. bellissimo e molto utile,complimenti

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  29. I made one and I love it! Thank you for the tutorial!!! I will be putting pictures of it on my blog soon if you would like to see it. I will put up a link to your tutorial for others to come check it out!

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  30. I'm here from Homemade By Jill!
    I LOVE the carrier! I will be making these for bridal showers, Thank you so much!

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  31. I'm here from Homemade by Jill, too. What a fantastic tutorial. I made one in just a few hours and I've linked to your tutorial so my friends can make one too. See mine here
    http://divaskychick.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/snowing-and-sewing-and-snot-oh-my/

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  32. I LOVE this tutorial!!! I made one for a shower this weekend!

    http://livingmysweetlife.blogspot.com/2011/02/bridal-shower-gift.html

    I love it so much I am making another one for a shower I am hosting in a month! Thank you for the easy fun tutorial!!

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  33. Hi!
    I just made one using you tutorial.
    I made some little changes on the handles.
    I just love how it turned out! Thank you very much for the tutorial. I put your link on my blog.
    http://passionfruitprincess.blogspot.com/
    Thanks again!
    Ana Paula

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  34. Thanks for such a great tutorial. I hope to try it out very soon. I posted about it today if you wanna stop by and take a look. Thanks~
    Alisa

    http://alisa-thesweetlife.blogspot.com/2011/02/to-do.html

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  35. I love this! I'll be using it to make numerous Mother's Day gifts this year!

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  36. Thanks for the tutorial! It was quite easy to make in the end once I got myself motivated. I've linked to your tutorial and pictures of mine are posted here:
    http://colleen-made-it.blogspot.com/2011/03/casserole-carrier.html

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  37. Thanks for sharing - this was a cute (and relatively easy!) project!! I made two!

    http://homeinthecountry.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/casserole-carrier/

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  38. Ok I have a question. I have been reading the tutorial and making it as I go along and I didn't read ahead to see what other sizes needed to be cut out of the fabric. I went ahead and cut the main pieces but when I got to the handles the length of the fabric left was only 36". Do you think even though it's 4" short that it will still work for the project? Thanks (next time I will read ahead and plan for it)
    Katie

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  39. I know what mom is getting for Christmas now! :) I'll buy a casserole dish to go inside of it and make some mitts and she'll be so happy!

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  40. Hi,Thanks so much for the pattern.The only trouble I had was figuring out how to attatch the handles.THen I got a good nights sleep, atr breakfast and it was much better. Carole

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  41. This is the second carrier I've tried making and I must say, I love this one a lot more. I still need to do handles (out of webbing) and I may add a button closure. I did a pieced design to include more fabrics to match my kitchen. I've linked you to my blog. Thank you for the great tutorial! http://thismomblog.com/2011/08/18/sewing-for-the-kitchen/

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  42. Thank you for this project. I would have liked the tutorial better if you had used a dark solid color fabric with the light thread.

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  43. This is a great tutorial, thank you for sharing! I made three casserole totes for christmas presents, but I made some of the same changes as Homemade by Jill. http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2011/01/insulated-casserole-carriers.html . I linked both of you. Thanks again!

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  44. I *love* your casserole carrier! I used the plan (modified slightly) to make christmas presents last year for my mom and aunt. And, time allowing, will make one this year for my new mother-in-law!
    Thank you so very much!!

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  45. It's beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  46. I am currently making (trying to make :) your carrier for my mother. My pieces seem to "wrap" the dish better if the shorter piece goes on top and the longer on bottom (the other way leaves gaps at the four corners). Do you think I can put it together that way and just change the straps accordingly? Or do you have another suggestion?
    Thanks! (So excited about it!)

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  47. that definitely sounds like it will work. there is no wrong way to do it. just as long as the sides wrap around the dish and keep it in place. make sure you share the finished product with me:)

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  48. What a great tutorial! Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to make this and to gift a few!

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  49. I can't wait until after Christmas to make one of these. I wish I would have found this a couple months ago.I would have made several as Christmas presents. I can tell you now I will be giving these as gifts next year. Thank you so much for the tutorial. I have searched many sights and this is the one I am going with. I love it because as many of the others I am fairly new at sewing.

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  50. OMG, this is so AWESOME!! Thank you, I am going to make these for each of the women on my Christmas gift list for sure! I am "SEW" excited to get started tonight, I actually have all the materials needed too. My mom is a total purple freak so guess what color fabric I will use on the 1st one? I will also use your suggestion and make matching pot holders. Now, what to make for dad? Any suggestions? He's totally into golfing and he's a business man. IF I can figure out how to post photos onto the internet I will indeed. (I've recently switched to Windows7 & still haven't figured that out) I used to post pics all the time on XP, ut I just can't figure it out on 7. I will def try though. Thanks again, this great!!!

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  51. I just finished making one for an exchange gift at our Quilt Guild Christmas party. I used two fabrics - a kitten pattern with kitties tumbling in Christmas ribbon and for the inside /lining a bright red fabric with gold stars. I went out and bought more insul-bright to make four more. Yes, I know it's December 3rd but these are easy and once you make the first one, it's easier yet. Thank you for a wonderful idea. I am so pleased to be able to gift this to a fellow quilter.

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  52. Am I missing somthing. :( You stated a yard for the insulbright. I did the mesurements of 37 and 30 but one yard is not enough unless I am just missing somthing. I am new to this, so I dont doubt it. Could you please send me a picture of how you would cut two peices out of one yard.

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  53. anonymous, not sure why your insul-birhgt is that size. this is what i use but i buy it by the yard at joanns:
    http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=6fb18085-4191-44c8-bb96-216e15376e16

    their yard measures 36 x 45, but you still should have enough even if yours measures 37 x 30. one piece measures 30 x 15 and the other measures 37 x 12. you will be using the whole length with one and need to trim the other one. does this help?

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  54. I went to Hobby lobby to get mine. Maybe Hobby Lobby's does not mesure the same because it was way off. I will check again and mesure it this time. Thank you. I am guessing it was the size I purchased. Thank you again for your time.:)

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  55. Just finished my third carrier! Only one more to go and each of the women on my Christmas list will get one of these fabulous casserole carriers. Thank you so much for the great tutorial. It's easy to follow and turns out a great finished product.

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  56. Thank you so much for this tutorial! I am currently making two for Christmas gifts. I was so excited to start that I went out and bought all the materials and started sewing before I bought casserole dishes. I would say to those of you just starting that I had a lot of trouble finding a lidded casserole dish that would fit this pattern. Pyrex's new lidded casserole dish that is 9x13 has these new easy grip handles that are really long, so the 37"x 12" piece didn't leave enough room to close it. For those of you who have already made and are using this, does your casserole dish have a lid and if not have you found it to be an issue??? Obviously you could use foil to cover your dish, but I was really hoping to find one that had a lid.

    Also, I thought it would be fun to use etching cream to put the last name of the recipient on the glass casserole dish to add another fun touch and make it easy to have your casserole dish returned to you after a potluck.

    Thanks again!!

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  57. Thank you. I got 3 of these made for my Granddaughters for Christmas. I found the Cupcake prints at JoAnns and they came out really cute...except I have to sit now and trim all my threads - family joke Mom always leaves threads when she sews. They should be really handy since there are so many "family" get togethers anymore now they are all married

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  58. SO happy to have found this! I can't tell you how many times I've packed dishes on trays and in boxes and made multiple trips to and from the car for just one little event! These will come in handy - can't wait to get started!!

    Thank you so much for sharing!

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  59. Thanks for the tutorial! I'm a newbie to sewing but managed to get through this project without much trouble ... I'm sure my next carrier won't take as long, haha, and may have a few straighter lines but overall I'm quite impressed! Thanks for the step-by-step pictures; those were a HUGE help!

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  60. This carrier is so cute! I'm participating in a "Pay it Forward" project on facebook and looking for ideas as surprises for my 5 people...they expect a quilt wall hanging or something like that, this will not be what they expect! I'll try to remember to take a pic and send you link if I make this one...been looking at a few options, but I really like yours alot!!! Thanks for taking the time to make such a detailed instruction tutorial!

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  61. Love this!! I just pinned it to pinterest and it's already been repinned a ton! I am new to sewing and can't wait to try this out. I also love the toddler bracelet, which I also pinned and it's being repinned a ton too!

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  62. Thanks so much for this great tutorial!! I followed the advice of Jill (http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2011/01/insulated-casserole-carriers.html) and made the 37inch piece 40 inches instead, and did different materials for the outside and inside. And then I followed my mom's suggestion of putting 4 inch long strips of velcro vertical along the sides instead of horizontal, so that I could adjust it for every casserole dish I use it for.

    You can see pictures of the one I made here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.515554538547.2008369.113600076&type=1&l=73724c72b8.

    This was my first real sewing project (that I actually finished) - thanks for the step-by-step instructions. It made it so easy to follow! I love it and can't wait to use it! I also bought another fabric for the outside of a 2nd one which I can't wait to get started on!

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  63. This is an awesome tutorial. I can't wait to make this. The only problem is that my computer is not near my sewing machine and to print it out from the website takes many many pages. Can you tell me how to be able to print it so that it only prints the pattern and not all of the other stuff on the page. Thank you.

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  64. Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it's truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
    Granite Quick Check indicator Stand

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  65. Do you have any tips for turning the handles right side out? I've spent about 45 minutes so far and they are still not turned right side out :(

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  66. tj, i usually use a diaper or safety pin and pin it to one of the ends on one edge. then pull the pin all the way through the casing. hope that helps:)

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  67. Hi - I just finished the casserole carrier from your tute, and it came out so nice! Thanks for all the great pics and step-by-step instructions.

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  68. Thank you for such a great tutorial. I made two of them - one for a 9 x 13 and one for a taller square casserole dish and they both turned out great. I made them for a friend who goes to a monthly recipe club and she was so excited to get these. They were a fun project - thanks again!

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  69. Thank you for sharing your instructions! I made one for a friend as a birthday gift, with some changes suggested by another blogger and used elastic as a utensil strap instead of fabric: http://www.ushadesigns.com/2012/03/finding-ideas-on-web.html

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  70. I love this pattern! ! I finally made it and it was easy using your instructions! I would love to share a picture with but I don't do flickr. Thank you for the instructions do you have any more patterns/instructions?

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