Tutorials
5.29.2015
While I was working through the Holiday Table Runner and our new Island Hopping fabrics, I quickly realized my mom was going to need accessories to go with her new table runner. Seeing as this is more of a summery fabric line and I had some random small pieces from the collection, it seemed reasonable to make a set of coasters for all the warm weather beverages!
After some deliberation and not being very motivated by the random designs I was finding online, I concluded that a lot of quilt blocks are kind of perfect to make into simple coasters with some very simple quilting. I finally settled on the Economy Block (aka the Square in a Square block) as something that would retain a small size at 5.5” square and still had a dimensional look. Rita Hodge over at Red Pepper Quilts has a great little tutorial on how to sew and square up these adorable little guys. (Also, the focal fabric she chose for the 3” centers is ridiculously adorable!)
Anyways, I was stumped for quite a while on what to do with the centers since the Island Hopping focal was a bit large to use in such small squares, but the secondary focal was PERFECT to fussy cut.
I had a reasonable amount of scraps from the collection and was able to pull together a very vibrant look. (I’m just going to show you the construction of one.)
Once everything was cut, I followed the simple instructions, pressing and stitching my way to completion of the “top”.
I ended up using some white flannel I already had lying around, to give it a little body, without the unstable bulk I think anything thicker would have offered. The focal fabric was just right to use as the “backing” for these coasters.
Next, I used 505 Spray & Fix to lightly baste the layers together, trimming the edges afterwards.
I did a really simple stitch in the ditch with white thread around the center portion, just to keep it all together.
Lastly, the binding. I opted for black because I happened to already have some prepared AND I tend to like black binding on just about anything bright.
I really love how this design turned out and I know my mom will too. 🙂
There is definitely some fantastic fussy cutting potential for the 3″ coaster centers with these fabrics:
What do you guys think, do you like the name “Economy Coaster” or “Square in a Square Coaster” better?
