Wednesday, November 24, 2010

How to Make Coasters

Finished coaster - without bias tape
I don't know what happens in our house, but I can never find a coaster when I need one. (Which is pretty much all the time.) It's not from lack of trying. We bought a passel of lovely ones from Handmade Julz at a previous Renegade. However, with a massive amount of relatives set to show up soon, I decided now was the time to start making my own coasters.

These are so fast and easy to make. Plus, they're a great way to use up leftover bits of fabric. I think a small stack of these tied together would make a really great hostess or housewarming gift.

Here's what you need:

  • Cotton for the top

  • Cotton, flannel, or vinyl fabric for the back

  • Batting

  • Thread

  • Sewing machine, or a needle and thread

  • Scissors

  • Double fold bias tape (optional)


Cut the following 4.5" x 4.5" (11.4 x 11.4 cm) pieces of fabric: 1 for the top, 1 for the bottom, and two pieces of batting.
How to make a coaster - step 1

Stack them together, quilt sandwich style. (Top piece wrong side up, bottom piece right side up, then the two pieces of batting.)
How to make a coaster - step 2

Starting in the middle of one side, sew around all four sides. Be sure to leave a 1.5" - 2" (3.8 - 2 cm) gap so you can turn it inside out.
How to make a coaster - step 3

Trim anything that's sticking out weird. (You want to have 1/4", nice even seams) (.6 cm)
How to make a coaster - step 4

Turn it inside out. Use a chopstick or a seam turner to get those pesky corners.
How to make a coaster - step 5

Sew up the open gap.
How to make a coaster - step 6

Iron it flat, and call it done!
How to make a coaster - step 7
How to make a coaster - Finished

OR, if you think it needs a little extra something:

After sewing up the gap,  and taking care to iron the bulky edges flat, attach a piece of bias tape around the edges.
How to make a coaster - step 8

Then call it done!
How to make a coaster - Finished
(You can probably do a much better job at this than I did. Oops. We'll call it, um..."rustic".)

Finished coaster - with bias tape

1 comment:

Natalie said...

Oh these are wonderful... I like that they aren't breakable and you don't have to worry about condensation ruining them! I made some last week for my blog out of ceramic tiles, and they turned out great. I'm giving away a set to a random commenter so if you have a chance go leave a comment! =]

http://www.paintsandpans.com/2012/01/23/diy-coasters/

Cheers,
Natalie

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