coasters in an hour
we have a new coffee table in our house. this afternoon, as i was rambling to my partner about being at a loose end, she suggested i make some coasters to go on it.
so i did.
it was so easy - i just made it up as i went along.
if you want to make some of your own, here are the steps:
1. choose two fabrics that you are fond of, and that you think look good together. designate one as fabric A and one as fabric B (it doesn’t matter which is which).
2. from fabric A cut 6 squares that are 3.75″ by 3.75″.
3. do the same with fabric B.
4. then cut 6 squares, also 3.75″ by 3.75″, of iron on pellon (i used vilene h 640 - a little squishy, but not too fat for your drinks to sit on with stability!) and iron a piece to the wrong side of each piece of fabric B.
5. place a piece of fabric A on top of fabric B, right sides together (so you have the pelloned side of fabric B, and the wrong side of fabric A facing out), and pin. do this with all six paired pieces.
6. sew around the edges of each little fabric sandwich, with a scant 0.25″ seam allowance, making sure you leave a 1.5″ gap for turning.
7. trim the corners, then turn your coasters the right way out. make sure you use a knitting needle, pencil, or similar, to gently work the corners all the way out.
8. iron each coaster, and as you do so, carefully fold the seams of your turning hole in so that they form a neat edge. at this point you could slipstitch the gap closed, but i am far too lazy for that, and just make sure to catch the edges and secure the hole in the next step.
9. sew a top stitch around the outside of each coaster, leaving approx 0.25″ between your stitches and the edge.
10. press once more, then use and enjoy!
there are two things i like about this - the first is they would make great presents for friends and family, and the second is that there’s a seemingly endless range of ways you could personalise and embellish them. i think my next set will have lace around the edges - or maybe ric rac!
i hope you get a chance to make a set of your own. let me know in a comment if you do!
love,
essie xoxoxo
Tags: miscellaneous sewing, tutorial
July 27th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Ooh I love them! I have heaps of fat quarters I love but don’t know what to do with - I’m going to try these tomorrow
that’s awesome, ren! let me know how you go (with pictures!!!). this is definitely a fat quarter project!
essie xoxoxox
July 27th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
RIC RAC!
<333
one day i will make you a dress out of ric rac. or a HOUSE out of ric rac!
xoxoxo
July 28th, 2009 at 5:14 am
i LOVE ric rac!! is iron on pellon difficult to find? these are completely brilliant - i love them and want to make thousands of them!
thanks for sharing. (and for the very user friendly directions. i am quite slow, sometimes!)
hi stephanie, thanks for commenting, and i’m glad that the instructions are clear!
you can buy pellon from most big haberdashery stores - lincraft and spotlight are the major ones in australia, but i’m not sure what the equivalent stores are in other countries. some quilting stores carry it too. i hope you find some and get a chance to make these!
essie xoxox
July 28th, 2009 at 6:18 am
I do like these, both fabrics are as nice as each other
I’m still tossing up what to do with those awesome liberty fabrics I picked up with you - the one with scissors catches my eye every time I open my closet, but I’ll wait for the perfect opportunity because it’s such a wonderful fabric!
hey dougie!
i’m glad you like my wee coasters! i like that you can make them up in any style to suit the room you want to use them in.
i can’t wait to see what you do with the liberty fabric - i’m still sitting on mine too. one day we will find worthy projects!
<3
July 29th, 2009 at 8:31 am
[…] quick… That’s why I love these ‘coasters in an hour’ from the wonderful Australian blog Penelope Waits. They’re a great way to use up old fabric offcuts and – best of all – you can just stick them […]
July 29th, 2009 at 8:34 am
These are terrific! What great gifts they’d make; you could even do matching placemats. And I love the fact they’re washable. Thanks for the great idea!
hi! i’m so glad you like them!
i think quite a few of my friends will be getting them as gifts for the next little while!
thanks for stopping by!
essie xoxoxo
September 5th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
[…] says they only take about an hour… an easy, lovely weekend DIY project! I love those! Click here to get the complete set of […]
November 18th, 2009 at 8:15 am
[…] following the same steps that i outlined in the ‘coasters in an hour’, pattern that i wrote and posted a while ago, with a couple of tiny […]
November 19th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
j’ai passé un bon moment sur votre blog
merci pour toutes vos belles réalisations
bon vent…
I had a good time with you!!!
thanks for all beautyfull ideas
good luck…
Claire K
August 8th, 2010 at 2:40 am
these are adorable! finally, something to make with all of my scraps!