Hello everyone!
I finally put my fingers on the keyboard to let you all know I'm still here. I had my right hip replaced in June and it's doing very well. I lost a lot of pain in my thigh and hip for which I am very thankful. I put this surgery off way too long. The recovery period wasn't too bad. Only two weeks of pain meds were all that I needed. The glory goes to the LORD as He provided an immediate cancellation the day after I met with the surgeon in May - instead of waiting until October 28 to have the surgery!
These long months of silence have been difficult though it's been difficult for several years as my husband has some dementia. Couple that with my physical and emotional state, and then you have a person who struggles to complete tasks and projects.
Easy Fabric Coaster Project
Now that I'm starting to accomplish more things, I have a sweet little craft for you to try. I made these fabric coasters for my niece as a hostess gift on Thanksgiving Day. Because it was November and autumn leaves came to mind, I decided to make these coasters in a maple leaf shape. You can choose whatever shape you want. Doesn't even have to be a leaf shape.
THINGS YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS PROJECT
Sewing machine, all-purpose thread, universal needle
Sharp dressmaker shears and pins
Fabric remnants (cotton, linen, or home decorator fabric)
Felt pieces large enough for your leaf pattern (I used white felt)
Leaf pattern (or draw your own on several sheets of paper if you don't have a printer)
I found a free maple leaf pattern on Pinterest and printed out several because of the way I would stitch them up. It's similar to the same technique used to make the tiny teddy bears. See that post here.
Instead of typical fall colors, I chose four fabrics from my home decorator fabric stash. Four different patterns and four different colors per what my niece wanted to use in her home once their renovation is complete.
Because of the way the coasters are stitched, the top and bottom fabrics will fray a little around the edges. It's called Shabby Chic. If you don't want that look, I suggest using felt for all the layers. To make the coasters thick, I placed two layers of felt in between the top and bottom fabric.
Print out the pattern and trim the extra paper off leaving enough of a margin for pinning.
Bottom layer: Place the fabric with the right side down. Next add two pieces of felt. For the top layer place the fabric with the right side up. Now pin the paper template through all layers.
You will be stitching on the outline through the paper. It's very easy and fun to stitch through paper. I used a stitch length of 10.
Stitch very slowly, turning around the corners, stopping and lifting the pressure foot as needed. When you reach the beginning, back stitch to secure the ends.
With the paper pattern still attached to the fabric layers, trim away some of the extra fabric around the leaf.
Two things to know before you start cutting around the leaf pattern.
First. Be careful cutting. Don't do a continuous cut around the corners. Cut in tiny clips instead. Because of the thickness of the coaster, and if you hold the scissors at an angle while doing a continuous cut while turning around corners, you may accidentally cut a hole in the bottom fabric or too close to the stitching line. I made that mistake and snipped a tiny hole in the bottom fabric. I was so annoyed!!! I had to make another one in the same blue Toile! I didn't toss it away but saved it for myself. It's hardly noticeable, but I couldn't give my niece a damaged coaster.
Second. So you won't make the other mistake I did cutting through the stitching, peel the paper away on the outside edges of the pattern template (as you see in the photo above), leaving the paper leaf shape intact. With your scissors trim close to the stitching line leaving a 1/4 inch edge. That way you'll be able to see the stitching line and not accidentally cut through it like I did. Then you can remove the rest of the paper template.
And here are the finished coasters!
My niece loved them and she said the fabric patterns complimented each other. She was very pleased!
I hope you find this little project fun to do. It's easy, really cheap, and makes a nice hostess or holiday gift. Make as many as you like!
I really love it😍