Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Quilted Coasters for Beginners



Oh no! Not another quilted coaster tutorial *grin*

This is a technique I saw for quilted ATCs - since they're just a little smaller than a coaster, I thought the method would translate well. I made it very beginner oriented (like me). I hope you like it.

Fat Quarter Shop (and probably your local quilt shop) sells Charm Packs with are neat 5x5 pinked squares, usually comprised of a whole line of fabric.  Here's the one I got:



I planned to make Yo-Yos with it... and then never did. The charms remind me an awful lot of coasters, so I thought I'd sew a few up in the off chance they worked.

What you need per coaster:

2 5x5 pieces of fabric
1 4.5x4.5 (ish) piece of fusible fleece (or batting, then skip the fusing bit)
sewing machine
iron


Something no one tells you, fusible stuff is different on each side. Experienced sewists never think to mention to us newbies that you need to iron the glue side to the fabric. Here's a visual:



See those little dots? That's the adhesive side. In this case you put the glue side against the wrong side of your fabric.



Flip:



Iron:


Sandwich right sides of fabric together.



Pin (my fabric stuck together so I pinned minimally)



Sew leaving a two inch opening. Remember to backstitch at the start and finish points.



See the open area:



Clip the corners being careful not to cut through the sewing. You do this to reduce the bulk. A corner is a teeny thing and seams can be lumpy.





Turn it right-side out. Use something to poke the corners out; roll them through your thumb and forefinger if they're being stubborn. Tip: careful with sharp objects for turning corners... it seldom goes well.



It'll look like this:




Iron flat and square. Be sure to turn in un-sewn  open section.




Topstitch the opening closed and around the coaster.



When done it should look like this:




Quilt the coaster. You can do this however you want. I specifically picked this fabric as it had built in quilting lines. How easy is that? I just sewed along each white line.






Turn over and trim off all the stray threads.




Now bask in your awesomeness :-)





Thanks so much for joining me on my learning to sew journey. I'm tickled about these and can't wait to make more.

Warmly,
Nicole

P.S. This project is part of my April Stash-Busting. It feels so good to be using the supplies I bought months ago with the best intentions.




P.S.S. I'm linking to: 

Visit thecsiproject.com
DIY Day @ ASPTL 



Join us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap up party!

22 comments:

Rose Swansong said...

They turned out so cute! Love your fabric choice too :)

Scrapamum said...

ooo I like !!!

Anonymous said...

These are awesome! I'm off to see about buying a pack myself.

Unknown said...

Stopping by from Just a Girl. Love your quilted coasters. The colours and patterns are fun! I love quilting, although I am far from an expert, but I need to get some charm packs.

Maggi said...

So very cool! These seem easy enough that I could probably make them! lol

chksngr said...

These are so cute!! Now, where did I put my sewing machine?????

the thrifty ba said...

that is cute! and so fast-that would make a great last minute gift!
thanks for stopping by my blog so i could find you!

Meg said...

What a great idea! I often look at packs and try to come up with different ideas to use them. I love the look of these...so easy, but so darn cute :)

Deb C said...

I don't normally quilt, but your instructions make this look so easy! I love this project. Very simple and useful. I love the fabrics you have chosen and really want to give this a try.

Melissa said...

These are super cute and seem like they are way easy to make too! :D

Jess said...

I love that fabric! Cool patterns.

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

What a fabulous project! I have always wanted to try quilting and you have made it look easy! Stop by the Sunday Showcase party if you get a chance! Great tutorial - thanks so much!

Tamarynn Leigh said...

Those turned out great! Love the fabric!! Thanks for linking up!

Angela Flicker: The Art of Making a House a Home in Utah said...

These are lovely. I might link to you on my blog. I want to do a top ten list for projects involving scrap fabrics.

We’ve been busting up our stash like crazy and are really enjoying it too.

http://theartistshouse.blogspot.com/2010/04/repurpose-your-scrap-wood-into-great.html
http://theartistshouse.blogspot.com/2010/04/turning-old-skirt-into-reversible-bag.html
http://theartistshouse.blogspot.com/2010/04/im-busting-my-stash-up-this-month-and.html

AlMcLeary said...

This project turned out great
http://almcleary.com/blog

Stacey said...

I love that fabric. What a great a tutorial too. They turned out great! Thanks for sharing at 'Look at me, I'm SO Crafty!' at Fun to Craft.

Dani said...

I stumbled upon this tutorial and I'm in love! I bought a charm pack ages ago thinking I'd make a quilt(pfftt!). Instead I'm pretty sure everyone I know will be getting coasters soon! Thanks! :)

Kitty said...

Love it! Thanks! I'm a beginner sewist (seamstress?)... and I am attempting coasters to match a quilted table topper for an upcoming wedding gift. This looks perfect, AND you are using the fabric I used for my first-ever quilt, too! Love Rainy Days and Mondays!! :)

Unknown said...

This looks simple enough for me to handle! Great tutorial and I love the ideas of using fabric with built-in lines.

Sarah {The Student Knitter} said...

cute! I have a question from a beginner quilter. :) Do you back stitch at the begining and end of every quilt line and then just snip at the end? or do you just quilt of the end and then clip off what's left? I don't know how to hide those unsightly strings.... just clip them as close as I can? will stitches come out? lol

Thanks!

Carissa B said...

Cute! I've never used fusible fleece and have been wanting to try and make quilted place mats....but I think this would be a good starter project before I do something as large as a whole set of placemats.

I found you through The CSI Project and I'm your newest follower. Come check me out and follow back, too, if you're interested @ Carissa's Creativity Space

Elegantpaws said...

Cute project! thanks heaps for sharing. I am going to make a bunch as Christmas presents this year. Lovely fabric choices also.