Pops of Color Coasters
These adorable coasters can be made to match any decor and are easy to assemble. Make a basketful.
MATERIALS
For 1 coaster: • Approximately 4 yards total length assorted 3/4"-wide x 10"– 24"-long strips in varying shades in a single color family (red, green, yellow/orange or blue) • Thread • 2 yards 3/16"-diameter cotton
clothesline rope • Tacky fabric adhesive or glue stick • 90/14 or 100/16 sharp sewing
machine needle • Basic sewing tools and supplies
COMPLETING THE COASTER
1. To begin covering the rope, apply a drop of adhesive to the end of the wrong side of one fabric strip. 2. Place the rope end on the glue as shown in Figure 1. the previous wrap and the fabric is snug against the rope as shown in Figure 2.
4. When you reach the end of the fabric strip, apply a drop of glue on the right side of the strip, overlap the end of the next fabric strip, and use a pin to hold the junction until the glue sets if necessary.
5. Wrap about 12" of rope before beginning to shape the coaster. Pin through the fabric and rope where you stopped to hold the wrap in place.
6. Begin to coil the wrapped rope into a tight circle, going around until the circle is about 13/4" in diameter.
7. Keeping the circle intact, slip it under the sewing machine presser foot and straight-stitch across the coils. Remove the circle and stitch again, forming an X referring to Figure 3.
8. Set your sewing machine to a zigzag stitch about 1/4" wide and position the coiled coaster center under the presser foot with the tail to the right of the needle and the center of the coil below the needle. Begin to zigzag-stitch, sewing from one coiled row to the adjacent coiled row with the needle centered between the two coils and stitching into each side, keeping the tail to the right of the needle as shown in Figure 4.
9. Stop stitching often with the needle down and lift the presser foot. Turn the coil slightly before resuming stitching. As you progress around, the coils will feed under the needle without stopping as shown in Figure 5.
10. Continue wrapping, coiling and stitching until the circle is about 41/2" in diameter; backstitch a few stitches and remove the coaster from the machine. 11. Trim off excess rope about 8" beyond the end of the stitching to leave a tail for the outer loop. 12. Wrap the remainder of the rope tail to the end and apply glue to the fabric that covers the end of the rope to hold in place. Note: You may remove the center X stitching at this time, if desired. 13. Referring to the project photo and Figure 6, coil the end in the opposite direction toward the coaster base. Start zigzag-stitching at the end of the rope, stitching back toward the coaster base, backstitching at the beginning and end of stitching to secure to finish the coaster. QW