DIY: Fabric Coasters!

I've been wanting to make some fabric coasters for upcoming girlfriend birthday gifts, so I finally took the plunge last week. This was a stretch for me, the beginner sewer, but it's a manageable project that can be completed in about 2 hours.



The recipient really likes purple, so I was able to repurpose some fabric scraps my mom didn't use up in a quilt. I loosely used a fabric coaster pattern by allsorts. I didn't do the criss-crosses, as you'll see from the pictures, but the dimensions were most helpful as I prepared to cut fabric. 5.5 inches was just the right square size.






Lessons learned:

• In the future, in addition to adding iron-on interfacing to one side of the coaster, I plan to add a thick piece of felt. The felt will give the coaster some padding and also absorb some of the heat, cold or moisture emitted by the drink on top.

• These look best if you sew all 4 corners by machine, leaving a 1 to 2-inch spot in the center of one side so the coaster can be turned inside out and the corners squared. That 1 to 2-inch spot needs to be stitched by hand, and that can be the most time-consuming step of all.

Someday when I have more time to sew, this is one of the items I'd like to have stockpiled in different colors and fabrics. Wouldn't it be nice to pull out a homemade gift anytime?

For more DIY ideas, head over to A Soft Place to Land.