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"Charm"ing Coasters with Craf-Tex

"Charm"ing Coasters with Craf-Tex

Written by: 
scastaneda
Published: 
Jan 18 2013 - 09:30

With Valentine's day around the corner I decided to make a cute little set of coasters to brighten up my coffee table! After I made my first set and posted a photo on Facebook... little did I know that all of my friends would want a set as well!
Since they turned out as darling as they did, I thought you may enjoy having a little tutorial
so you can make them for your friends (and yourself!) as well.

They really do make a sweet Valentine's gift!

I decided to make mine double sided and here is how they turned out...



These guys are super easy to make, thanks to CRAF-TEX Precut Coasters. CRAFT-TEX is a heavyweight double-sided fusible stabilizer. What does that mean, you may be asking?
It means that you can take the precut coaster and simply iron fabric on to both sides and you have yourself a coaster! But I decided to spice mine up a bit more than that. :)

Below you will find my supply list and step-by-step instructions.
You can find the supplies for this project at your  local quilt shop.

  

  1. Fabric...Moda Charm Packs- Charm Packs are ideal for this because they are the perfect size! 5"x5"
  2. Bosal CRAF-TEX Coaster Pack- each pack has 6 - 4"x4" coasters in it.
  3. Fusible - I prefer Lite Steam-a-Seam 2 but any fusible will work. I used the Lite Steam-a-Seam2 sheets. (they are packed with 5 sheets)
  4. Fabric Scissors-   My preferred scissors still remain the Elan scissors. You will want a large pair to cut out the large shapes and a small pair to cut the tiny pieces- like inside the letters and intricate shapes. It is so important to use fabric scissors or your fabric will fray on the edges leaving it looking frazzled.    
  5. Ironing Board. I really enjoy my Steady Betty pressing mat because it is so small and I can sit it right by my sewing machine and move it anywhere I need... and it is also great for taking to classes. 
  6. Iron
  7. Applique Pressing Sheet-  My pressing sheet is from Fons & Porter (The pressing sheet is a heat resistant sheet that will protect your fabric, iron and ironing board from the fusible and distributes heat better than putting your iron directly on the fabric.) 
  8. Ball Point Pens- to draw/trace designs onto Steam-a-Seam. 
  9. Design/Templates- Choose a word or design you would like to use on your coasters. I am including a Free PDF of the alphabet I used here. Otherwise you can just type out your letters in a Word Document and print them off.  
Choose your background fabrics as well as the fabric for your letters or designs. 
I chose Kate Spain's, Honey, Honey charm pack for the background 
and a white Bella Solid for my letters. 
Also- Decide if you want your coasters to be double sided and if so, 
chose the fabric for the back side as well. 



•TRACE or DRAW your letters or design on the STICKY side of the SteamASeam. (peal back corner to see which side is sticky) 
NOTE: Your design must be traced or drawn backwards (mirror image) onto the SteamASeam so when you transfer to the WRONG side of the fabric and eventually cut it out it will come out the correct direction. To achieve this you can draw it with a sharpie on a separate paper and then flip that paper over and lay under the SteamASeam to trace backwards. 

•CUT design out of STEAM-A-SEAM leaving about 1/4" - 1/2" around the design. 
•PEAL the smooth side of the SteamASeam away and then lay your Applique Pressing Sheet over the fabric and letter and then press the Sticky Side of the design onto the WRONG side of your fabric and press for ~10 seconds to get the stickum to adhere to the fabric.
•TEST by using your finger nail to pull back a corner of the SteamASeam to see if the stickum has transfered from the Paper to the Fabric. If not, press a bit more but not too long. 



•CUT the DESIGN out exactly on the line you drew. 
•PEAL back the SteamASeam paper from the fabric leaving the stickum on the WRONG side of your fabric.


•POSITION your letter/design where you like on your fabric. 
•PRESS- Once you have it exactly where you like, press that baby down! 

•Stitch around your design. I used the zig zag stitch. A blanket stitch would look cute as well. :) 

I decided to make my coasters double sided. 
The top side to say "Stitch" and the bottom side to say "LOVE" with two hearts on either side. 
So I stitched the letter on the top piece of fabric, then stitch the letter on the bottom piece 
and then I was ready to make my coaster!



•Grab 1 of your CRAF-TEX Coaster Stabilizers and your top and bottom fabrics. 


Then sandwich your fabrics around your CRAF-TEX Coaster. Since your charm squares are 5"x5" and your coaster is 4"x 4", you will have some fabric around the edges of the coaster. I just centered my coaster in the middle of the fabrics so the letters would be centered on the coaster once trimmed.
Your letters/designs should show on the outside and you will no longer see the CRAF-TEX. 


•Cover your fabric sandwich with the Applique Pressing Sheet and press down the top fabric for about 30 seconds. 

Then flip your fabric sandwich over and press the opposite side for 30 seconds as well. 



•Using your ruler & rotary cutter, trim the excess 1/2" off of each side. (you can just use scissors if you don't have a rotary cutter/mat)


•ALMOST DONE!!! Your final step is to stitch around the edges of the coaster to finish it. Again I used the zig zag stitch. A satin stitch or button hold stitch would also look great. 


And... VOILA! 






And as an early Valentine's gift I am giving away a 
Coaster Kit to one lucky winner! :)  

Just leave a comment telling me who you would make these coasters for and why they deserve them. 
WINNER will be announced Monday. 

Posted in: 
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Tagged: 
Applique, beginning sewers, Bosal, Charm Packs, Coasters, Craf Tex, Elan Scissors, Fons and Porter, Fusible, Gifts, Honey Honey, Kate Spain, Pressing Sheet, Steady Betty, Steam-a-seam, Tutorial

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