A sparkling diamond ring (so lovely). The coveted brass ring (so tempting). The mythical Lord of the Rings (that Elf was so handsome). The unsightly furniture ring (note to self: keep Uncle Frank away from the antique sideboard). If you hate rings on your furniture, you’ll love these coasters. A sewing project doesn’t get much easier than this one; just cut, stitch, press. I made all four of our samples in under an hour, and I was stopping to take pictures!
A sparkling diamond ring (so lovely). The coveted brass ring (so tempting). The mythical Lord of the Rings (that Elf was so handsome). The unsightly furniture ring (note to self: keep Uncle Frank away from the antique sideboard). If you hate rings on your furniture, you’ll love these coasters. A sewing project doesn’t get much easier than this one; just cut, stitch, press. I made all four of our samples in under an hour, and I was stopping to take pictures!
This is a great project for using up bits and pieces of your favorite fabrics. Mix and match collections to make each coaster unique. Then, bundle up a set of four or more as a great gift. But, keep a few for yourself… and Uncle Frank, cause you know he’s going to sneak into the living room anyway.
Sewing Tools You Need
- Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome 2160DC)
Fabric and Other Supplies
- Scraps or ¼ yard cuts of various cotton fabrics: we used Lumiere de Noel by French General for Moda Fabrics in (backs) Dobby Dot plus Oiseaux Rouge Natural, Oiseaux Rouge Tan, La Veille De Noel Natural and La Veille De Noel Tan, (fronts) Tournesal White and Tournesal Red
- Scraps or ¼ yard of lightweight batting: we used Kyoto Bamboo Blend batting from Fabric.com
- All purpose thread to match fabrics
- All purpose thread in contrasting colors for topstitching: we used dark red
- See-through ruler
- See-through square template (optional, but oh-so helpful)
- Fabric pencil
- Iron and ironing board
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- Straight pins
Getting Started
- The coasters finish at 5″ x 5″. Each coaster takes two 6″ x 6″ squares for the back, one 5½” x 5½” square of batting and one 5½” x 5½” square for the front.
- From the fabric(s) for your coaster backs, cut two 6″ x 6″ squares for each coaster.
- From the fabric(s) for your coaster fronts, cut one 5½” x 5½” square for each coaster.
- From the lightweight batting, cut one 5½” x 5½” square for each coaster.
NOTE: I fussy cut all my fabric squares. On the backs, I made sure all my dots were straight and the coordinated print square had a strategically placed pattern for the final triangle. On the fronts, I made sure I had a featured motif in the center of each.
At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board
- Thread your machine with thread that coordinates with your fabric.
- Find the two 6″ x 6″ back squares. Cut each square in half diagonally to create two triangles.
NOTE: We used the Dobby Dot as the consistent fabric on each of our coaster backs, alternating it with a print triangle. This allowed us to get four coasters from two squares of Dobby Dot, but we did end up with four extra triangles from our chosen prints. But don’t throw them out, put them in your cute-little-pieces-to-keep box for quilting and craft projects. - Pin together a triangle pair for each coaster you’re making. We had four pairs. Pin right sides together along the long side only.
- Using a ¼” seam allowance, stitch together each triangle pair. Press all seams open.
- Place a batting square flat on your work surface. Place a top square over the batting, right side facing up. Place a finished back square on top, right side facing down. You’ve made a little coaster sandwich: batting, top, back.
- Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch around all sides, leaving an approximately 3″ opening in the middle of one side. Clip the corners on a diagonal.
- Turn the coaster right side out. Gently push out corners using your finger or a long tool with a blunt end, like a large knitting needle. Press flat, making sure the open edge turns in ½” and is pressed flush with the sewn seam. Pin the opening.
- Re-thread your machine with contrasting thread in the top and bobbin.
- Topstitch ¼”- ½” from the edge around all four sides, pivoting at each corner. This closes the opening.
- Topstitch a large “X” through the middle, starting and stopping in the exact corner of your previous line of topstitching. Press flat.
NOTE: If your machine allows, use a lock stitch instead of a back tack. It makes a cleaner line of stitching.
Project Concept: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Liz Johnson
Other machines suitable for this project include the Elna SewFun and the Brother BC-1000.
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