How to make Holiday coasters

Textiles always inspire me and today I am going to share with you another coasters project. This time they are made out of felt! I was planning to make felt flowers to adorn a T-shirt and they did not come all right, so I gave up. Looking through a “Bon Appetit” magazine I saw the well-recognized Holiday cookie in a form of a star and red filling inside.. Yummy. So don’t be too critical, since these are my first try… You can select any felt color combinations you wish, but his is what I had. I stopped after I made two coasters and I think you should make at least four and have a set. You would need to make a pattern for the coaster's star shape, and the inside shape.

On the top layer, cut the outline star pattern and the star inside.

Cut only the outline of the coaster for the bottom layer.

Stitch the outside edge first to secure the layers in place and then the inside one. They would look great with a hand stitch like a backstitch, but I did not have time and I used a machine zig-zag instead.

Have fun! A set of coasters would make great gifts too!
Let me know what you think.

DIY - How to Make a Memo Board

A memo board or French memo board is a board for collecting pictures, cards, and other mementos.  It’s an easy project that you can tackle in a weekend.  All you need is some fabric, ribbon, buttons, foam board or wood, batting, and a frame (optional).  If you can sew a button and staple, you can make a memo board.

Here is a list of the supplies I used:

• Foam board cut to size
• Recycled frame
• Stapler
• Duct tape
• Fabric
• Ribbon
• Buttons (I used the kind you cover)

 

Step One: 

Cut the foam board or wood to fit your frame. 

Cover your board with batting.  I used two layers because it was fairly thin.

Iron your fabric and cover your board.  Staple it to the back.  Make sure you work in the corners.  You don’t want the corners too thick.  Then you can cover everything with duct tape.

 

 

Step Two:

Lay out your ribbon.  This took the longest time for me to decide how many rows I was going to use.  There is no right or wrong here.  Just go with what looks good to you. 

 

I pinned them in place.

If you have used wood, you can staple them.  If you used foam board, you will probably need to sew them in place,  although you can staple the back.  Again I used duct tape.

 

Step Three:

 

Cover your buttons if you chose this kind. 

Sew buttons in place.

Step Four:

 

Place in frame.  I added another piece of cardboard to the back of frame and again used duct tape to keep everything in place.

 
Step Five:

 

Hang on the wall.  Enjoy!

What do you think? 

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time…

Button Art Tutorial - How to create a monogram button pillow

Ever wonder how people make those beautiful button pillows?  After admiring all the beautiful button art I found on Pinterest, I decided to try my hand at making my own pillow.

Here is my granddaughter holding the finished product.

I'm sure there is more than one way to do this, but here is my step by step tutorial.

Supplies:
Fabric
Buttons
Pillow Insert
Pencil
Glue (optional)
Thread

The first step is to cut out your pillow.  Just add one inch to the size of your pillow form.  My pillow form was 14" so I cut two squares 15" each.

Next step is to decide on the letter and play around on your computer and find a font that you like.  I used simple "Times New Roman."

 

Next trace the letter on your fabric.  Be sure to go lightly.

 

Next start laying out your buttons.  A mix of colors and sizes is a good idea.  Note that I originally purchased 3 different packages but had to go and purchase a 4th package of extra small buttons to cover my pencil marks.

 

I started out using the glue dots but found that when I started to sew the buttons in place the glue just got in the way.  I found it easier to refer to my picture as I went around the A.

Here is the pillow front with buttons all sewn (with the exception of the little ones).





 

Iron the back side of the fabric and put the two pieces of fabric together to make your pillow.  Make sure you leave an opening on one side to slide your pillow form in.  I recommend that you round the corners so that your pillow does not have pointy corners.

Trim the corners, turn right side out, stuff your pillow and then sew the seam shut and Voila there you have it!  A cute little pillow for a sweet little girl!

 

All in all it took about half a day to make and I have plenty of buttons to make another!  Maybe I'll tackle some wall art next time.  I'm thinking I can use hot glue!!!

 

If you've ever tried this, feel free to share.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Until next time...

 

How to make your own fabric coasters

    Having fabric coasters at your table can be one way to express your creativity. They are easy to make, look great, and are also washable. You can use them on both sides (something unusual for coasters) and store them in the same drawer with your dishcloths.
    You can impress your guests with these sustainable coasters and start a conversation about sewing!
All you need is some squares of fabric, a very thin quilting filling that you can buy at a fabric store, and a sewing machine.
    I started with different color fabric squares in  5" x 5" sizes. They were pre-cut, but if you have a few fabrics that you love, or you want to follow your kitchen's color scheme, make your own squares. You can find some “fat quarters” at the fabric store which are already grouped by the predominant colors.
    The filling is 1/16" thick, which I purchased by yard. Here are some of my fabrics: light, natural, greens.

    You need to cut the filling the same size as the fabric squares, at 5"
    You will place the 2 fabrics facing each other on the right side, and position the filling on top. Sew the 3 edges of the square and 3/4 of the 4th edge all around at 1/4"seam allowance. My picture has one side open, but I had to close 3/4 of it later, for better-looking product.

Trim the corners, and flip the coaster on the right side. Press it flat.
Close the opening by pressing the seam allowances in and sew it by hand with a small blind stitch. Press.
Sew the coaster on the right side, by making 2 X's in the middle, and then going around the edges at 1/4". You can also make the "X" and the 3 sides in one step, then you add the last step at the end, running over the ends to secure it.
You are going to have a 4.5" square coasters. Here is one of my 4, viewed from both sides:

Happy sewing! Send us some pictures with your finished product, and we will post them here!