It can be difficult some weeks to blithely write about
making projects. As I’m posting this on Tuesday morning, it’s been a bumpy week
already and my latest little sewing project seems incredibly silly.
Yet here we are.
I pulled out another small kit from the bottom of the drawer
this week. This one was for a single coaster. I know I received it as a gift
from a local shop during a Quilt Shop Hop a few years ago. It’s from a different shop
than the mug rugs kit I made earlier this year, and that makes me wonder
if they were from the same year — one with a coaster theme.
This kit came with six squares of cotton each measuring five
inches (about 2.5 cm). I was to add a batting square of the same size.
Although this is a simple pattern, I had to read through the
instructions a few times before I could follow the process. It is much easier
to do than to explain.
The first step was to sandwich two of the fabric squares with
the batting, right-sides out. Next, I had to fold the remaining four squares in
half with wrong-sides together. I wove them into a new five-inch square layer
with the raw edges to the outside.
After placing the woven layer on top of the sandwich, I
sewed around all four sides with a quarter-inch (0.6 cm) seam allowance. I
clipped the corners, then turned the coaster right-side out through the center
of the woven block.
And I happen to like topstitched edges for small turned
items, so I sewed a quick border as well.
This was a quick and easy project. Although I appreciate
that there are a lot of layers for absorbency, I don’t entirely understand why
I needed to sandwich the batting between two layers of fabric when one side was
going to be covered by the woven block in the end. Perhaps because the woven
block can be opened from the middle? Some well-placed quilting would
prevent anyone from peeking there.
The charm of this
pattern is lost on me. (Get it? Charm blocks are usually five inches square,
haha!)
No world problems were solved by making this project. Nor
were any small issues, for that matter. But there’s a little more storage space in the bottom of
the drawer, and I have a brightly colored coaster on which to set a soothing
cup of tea as I ride out life’s bumps.
That little storage space is a win win after all :)
ReplyDeleteA cup of tea is a nice way to celebrate a finish.
ReplyDeleteI agree, especially when the finish can be part of the celebration!
DeleteCongrats! to this cute little kit (for finally getting sewn.) Somedays, ONE little coaster can be a HUGE accomplishment!! Relish that bit of extra space in the drawer.
ReplyDeleteThanks! That's true, and some days that feeling of accomplishment can make all the difference.
Delete