A beginner’s guide to displaying your numerous potholers as art.
Potholders make such terrific crochet projects. Their small size makes potholders a great travel project to take on vacations, and there are so many fun ways to display them around your house!
Crochet potholders offer the chance to play with different yarns and explore new crochet stitches without committing to a big project. Plus, they offer the instant gratification of a project that is easy to complete. Overall, they make great learning projects for beginners while allowing more experienced hookers to explore new skills and techniques.
But what should you do with all of your crochet potholders once they’re stacked up? There are only so many you can functionally use after all.
How about making a beautiful wall art display? Here are five tips for creating stunning art walls with your crocheted potholders:
1. Pick a theme for your display.
Whether you make a whole bunch at the beginning of your crochet journey, or simply use potholders as filler projects between your more time-heavy creations, you can plan ahead by choosing a theme.
As you make them, you’ll be able to create a work of wall art that looks cohesive. For example, you may want to stick to a certain color palette or choose to crochet potholders that all have a similar theme. Try a floral or fruit-inspired design like these ones from CraftyKimsCorner2 on Etsy.
2. Decorate with other items in similar colors in the same space.
The little details that you add in the space around your display can really make the difference between a set of hanging potholders and a true work of art.
Check out the styling that Emily Retro’s blog shows with the vintage potholders she’s collected. The bright rainbow styling brings out the other colors in the rest of the room while the white walls really make the colors pop.
It shows how just a few choice items in the right shapes and colors can really pull the details together in a potholder art display.
3. Stack your extras.
Take a look at the vintage crochet potholder display (above) by Swedish stylist and photographer Elisabeth Dunker.
The display itself is eye-catching, but once you’ve taken it all in then your eye is also drawn to the extra potholders that are stacked on the table beneath the display. You get curious about them and want to see more.
Therefore, you can try rotating out the crochet potholders in the pile with the ones on the wall seasonally to freshen up your space!
4. Think creatively with placement.
Finnish artist Anu Tuominen has done several crochet potholder art installations in different locations. Most people are particularly drawn to the bold colors of her works of art.
Another aspect that is really eye-catching is her choice of placement. Each potholder goes into the perfect spot to create the final display.
For example, Tuominen has been known to use the intersection of two walls to display crochet potholders in each corner, giving the illusion of new shapes to the space. She has also displayed potholders in a circular fashion, exaggerating the shape of round potholders by making the display round as well.
5. Treat each potholder like a work of art.
Artist Renilde de Peuter takes utilitarian objects like potholders and uses creative details to make each one a true work of art.
Play around with freeform crochet and niche techniques to create your own artistic crochet potholders. Just a few of these little jewels will go a long way towards making your walls amazing! Use frames or embroidery hoops to really set apart just one or two potholders.
Want further inspiration for making artistic potholders? Check out 35+ Potholders to Crochet: Step-by-Step Patterns for Unique Kitchen Essentials-From Classic and Practical to Playful and Pretty by Beatrice Simon