Holiday Coasters 

Need something to set your BERNINA coffee cup on? This easy holiday coasters project will show how to make reversible fabric coasters using a photographic image printed on fabric.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial

I started by photographing a pine cone and dropping the background out of the picture in Adobe Photoshop. I placed the cutout image of the pine cone first on a white background. This would allow me to create a variety of different colored backgrounds behind the pine cone.Holiday Coasters - Pine ConeThe image of the pine cone is approximately 3.5 inches square. You can download the original size photograph here: Pine Cone High Res Original Size. The canvas behind the pine cone is 5 inches wide by 5.25 inches high. I colored the background behind the top pine cone red. Then I flipped the image horizontally in Photoshop and changed the background to green.

This created a second piece of fabric that was the mirror image of the first. The two images easily fit on an 8.5-inch by 11-inch commercial inkjet fabric sheet. The file with the two images was printed with pigmented archival inks in my inkjet printer. Once the fabric sheet (you can use THREADS fabric sheets) was dry, I cut the two images out and peeled the backing off the fabric.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - Pine Cone image printed on fabric

I turned both fabric images over and faced them together. It takes a bit of work to line up both pieces of fabric. But it is worth the effort. On a small project like this I did NOT pin them together.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - Face Fabric Images Together

The markings on the BERNINA Patchwork foot 97D are marked at quarter-inch increments. This allows you to easily stitch a quarter-inch seam.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - stitching a quarter inch seam

The BERNINA Patchwork foot # 97D comes with a guide that screws into the arm or base of the BERNINA sewing machine. In this instance, I am using a BERNNA 7 Series machine. The precise dimensions of the screw-on guide allow you to position it next to the presser foot. This will place your needle and stitch line a quarter-inch inside the edge of your fabric square. Note that the BERNINA Dual Feed is engaged so that the top and bottom layers of fabric are fed simultaneously. The even feeding of the fabric keeps the mirrored images matching face to face.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - installing the BERNINA 97D foot

The markings on the BERNINA Patchwork foot 97D, as well as the cutout in the front of it, are a quarter of inch. By carefully watching the progress of your needle as it stitches the line, you can stop stitching a quarter of an inch from the edge of your fabric.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - stop a quarter of an inch by the edge

Using the needle down function on the sewing machine, it is easy to raise the presser foot and turn your fabric 90 degrees as you stitch along the top edge of your fabric square.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - needle down position when turning at the corner

 

Once you have stitched a quarter of an inch around both sides and the top of your fabric sandwich (left) then trim the two top corners off (right). This reduces excess fabric in your corners when you turn the fabric sandwich inside out. Be sure to leave the bottom edge open so you can turn the coaster sandwich inside out.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - rim the two top corners off

Once you have turned the fabric so the right sides are out, use a blunt instrument like a chop stick to carefully push out the corners.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - carefully push out the corners

Cut a small piece of heavyweight fusible interfacing. The dimensions that I found to be the best for this size project were 4-1/4 inches wide by 4-3/8 inches high.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - Cut a small piece of heavyweight fusible interfacing

Slide the piece of fusible interfacing into your coaster pocket. It works the best if you keep the inside stitched fabric all on one side of the insert.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - Slide the piece of fusible interfacing into your coaster pocket

Fold one side of the bottom fabric over the insert and use the edge of your iron to fuse the edge of the folded fabric to the bottom edge of the insert.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - use the edge of your iron to fuse the edge of the folded fabric to the bottom edge of the insert

Carefully fold the top edge of your fabric over the insert and inside the pocket. Then fuse it with the heat from your iron. Do not let the iron sit too long on the edge or it can burn the fabric.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - Carefully fold the top edge of your fabric over the insert and inside the pocket

Use a press sheet like this Teflon press sheet to fuse both sides of your fabric to the fusible interfacing.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - Use a press sheet like this Teflon press sheet to fuse both sides of your fabric to the fusible interfacing.

Again, use the quarter-inch markings on the BERNINA Patchwork foot 97D to stitch a line around the inside of the fabric sandwich.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - stitch a line around the inside of the fabric sandwich.

To close the bottom edges of your sandwich, use a needle and thread and stitch it closed with a whip stitch.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - stitch it closed with a whip stitch

Using the BERNINA Stitch Regulator (BSR) or a number 24 free-motion presser foot, stitch around the needles of the pine cone on the top side of the fabric sandwich with a bright contrasting thread.

Holiday Coasters Tutorial - stitch around the needles of the pine cone on the top side of the fabric sandwich

If you lined up your mirror image fabrics correctly, the stitching pattern on the back side should match the stitching on the top side.

Holiday Coaster Finished

Final note: Once you have finished your pine cone holiday coaster, because water glasses and cups “perspire” it is recommended that you treat the fabric with either a water resistant lacquer or a water repellant fabric protector.

Our December 8 Gift For You

Today’s gift is a BERNINA-red “thread” can for your sewing room to one awesome WeAllSew fan. All you have to do is post a comment below answering the following question:

What would be your favorite coaster design?

A winner will be chosen at random on December 9, 2015 and announced later this week!

Good luck!

Congratulations to our WeAllSew reader “watercolorjen”, the winner of the December 8 gift. Enjoy!

18 days until Christmas

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