Santa's sack coasters are just the thing to bring the holly and the jolly to your decor!
With fringed edges and the burlap that you can claim actually comes from one of Santa's old toy sacks, you'll have a fun coaster for people to use, and an excellent story to tell kids. Add embroidery and it will be personal, as well.
Read on for instructions to make merry homespun coasters!
Supplies
Supplies Needed:
**1/4 yard burlap
**1/8 yard felt
**Water-soluble stabilizer (for topping -- I prefer Sulky Solvy or Sulky Ultra Solvy)
**Medium weight cutaway stabilizer
**Temporary spray adhesive
**Air-erase pen
Designs Used:
I used designs from the small size of Santa's Stamp of Approval Design Pack. Designs from the Cozy Country Snowman Design Pack and the 'Tis the Season Tidings Design Pack would also be terrific on these coasters.
Finished Size: 6" wide by 6" high
Designs Used
First, draw a 6" wide by 6" high square on the burlap fabric (leave a couple of inches of excess fabric around the shape). Using an air-erase pen or other marking tool, measure and mark the center of each side of the shape by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines connecting the marks. Where the lines meet is the exact center of the shape.
Create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size using embroidery software. Poke a hole in the center of the template and align it with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape. There should be at least one inch of space between the outer edges of the designs and the edges of the shape.
Remove the template. Spray a piece of medium weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Then, lay a piece of water soluble stabilizer on top of the fabric. The water soluble stabilizer helps prevent the stitches from falling into the fabric. For more information on embroidering on burlap, click here. Hoop all three layers together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric.
Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.
When the design has finished, remove the water soluble topping by tearing it away. You can use a tweezers to remove any small bits that are left behind, or, dab the fabric with water to dissolve it away. Trim away the stabilizer on the backside of the embroidery.
To prepare the fabric for the back of the coaster, cut another piece of burlap to 6" wide by 6" high.
Next, cut a piece of felt to 4 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high. Center the felt piece on top of the back piece and then align the embroidered front piece, right side facing up, on top of the felt. Adding the felt layer helps the coaster to be more absorbent.
Pin all the layers together and then sew a 3/4" seam along the entire outer edge of the shape. Stitch around the shape twice to insure that the fringe will hold later on.
Fringe the outer edges of the shape down to the seam and trim any uneven threads. And your Santa's sack coasters are done!
Stitch a whole passel of these cheery coasters -- they make great hostess gifts and stocking stuffers!
