i mentioned that my lovely grandma is coming to stay with us for a few days and i thought i would whip her up a set of some fun quilted coasters. **warning - these can be addictive!i have made some in the past for my mom, other grandma & friends and got hooked! they are simple to make, a great way to practice your quilting skills and look fabulous when done! i love how they can just add that little punch of color and fun to a room for such a small expense. it's a great fabric stash buster and there are endless possibilities here to use your imagination. practice your log cabins, your pinwheels, or any other type of quilting block you desire, use contrasting thread, embroider, applique, heck, if you've made a block and it didn't turn out quite the way you wanted for the quilt, why not use it as a coaster or a pot holder?
they make wonderful little housewarming gifts and a special little thank you present as well. i haven't made any for myself yet, but i'm next in line....so go raid your stash, or repurpose an old shirt and let your creativity go wild! that cup is just begging to be snazzied all up!here's the steps i used to make my coaster:
1. cut out 8 pieces of fabric the size of your choosing. i made mine about 6" x 6" (i like them to be a bit larger than normal).
2. cut out 4 pieces of batting the same size as your coaster.
3. this is the part that always confuses me (yes, i am admitting i am confused by this). you need to make your "sandwich" so to speak. one of your outer sides should be batting. that's what i always seem to forget. i kept putting the batting in the middle of the fabric, and i would pin all my coasters and yes, even start sewing them, when i realized oops, when i turn this out, there
will be batting as an outer fabric!!! eek! so just remember, the batting goes on the outside.
4. sew all three sides of the coaster and leave about a 3" opening on the 4th side to pull the coaster right side through.
5. hand sew your opening closed.
6. quilt away! i top stitched three squares around the outer border of the coaster. in the past i have filled the whole coaster with those squares and it looks great as well.
have fun and make sure to join our flickr group and show off your handiwork!!!have you been making coasters? what's your favorite way to make them?
{all images luvinthemommyhood}