One thing I love is a good scrap buster project and today I am going to show you one of my favorites. I’m going to show you How To Make Braided Coasters – Easy Scrap Fabric Busting Project. When I decided to tackle figuring out how to make an upcycled braided t-shirt coaster set, I knew I had to share! It’s just such a great project, simple and fast, that you can make using just an old t-shirt or scrap jersey fabric that you might have laying around (trust me, I have a ton). Even better, if you have enough scrap fabric you can quickly sew them together to make a super-colorful and fun coaster set. Plus, this project is so very easy, you do not have to be super experienced to pull it off. You can make this great gift idea or fun 20-minute craft, even if you are a beginning sewist. Coasters are one of those things I don’t think you can have too many of. I love my antique coffee table, so coasters are a must to prevent and protect against water rings and stains. You can make these for way cheaper than buying something similar in-store.
To make this t-shirt coaster scrap buster project, I started by selecting two fun contrasting colors for my fabric. It would be even better if you picked three contrasting prints or colors, but I honestly just had a lot of one fabric and a little less than of the other, so I was just working with what I had. If your scraps are limited, know that you’ll need more than ⅛ of a yard of each color you choose, but the deal is that you’ll want a long, thin strip. So, you should be able to make that work even if your choices are limited. Additionally, it’s worth pointing out that you CAN make this with other fabric types if you want. Cotton, polyester, pretty much anything, will work fine. The only thing you need to think about is that selecting a fabric that has a little stretch to it, like a jersey or t-shirt, will make for a more easy braiding experience because you won’t have to worry about the fabric fraying while you’re trying to get your coaster assembled. So, grab your fabric scissors, and let’s get making!
What You’ll Need:
- 1/6 of a yard of 60″ wide T-shirt Fabric (3 prints, preferable)
- Thread to match
- 6 Large Safety Pins
- Fabric Measuring Tape
- Masking Tape, optional
- Thread Clippers
- Sewing Clips
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Rotary Cutter, Cutting Mat, & Ruler
- Sewing Machine
How To Make Braided Coasters – Easy Scrap Fabric Busting Project
For the first step in this how to make braided coasters – easy scrap busting project sewing tutorial, you’ll need to cut 3 strips of each print of the t-shirt fabric into 1½ to 2-inch wide strips about 16 to 20-inches long. You can certainly work with longer strips, but my recommendation is to start with this length, then decide if this is going to work for you or not. The longer a strip of fabric that you use, the more difficult it is going to be to braid the strips together. So, even if you want to make a larger coaster than I’ve created, you might be better off working with the shorter strips, than just tacking on more braided strips when the coaster is sewn.
Next, we’re going to set up the strips for braiding. To do this, using a safety pin, clip together one end of 3 of the strips of fabric, one of each print.
Now on this how to make braided coasters – easy scrap busting project sewing tutorial, we are going to start braiding. You can use masking tape to affix the safety pin to the table to help you with the next step of braiding, but I was out of tape, so I used a jar, weighted with some rocks, and a thin dowel, to hold my safety pin in place. The tape would be easier, but since this was a fast project, I just made do with what I had. You should note, however, that you should use painter’s tape or masking tape – not duct tape or gorilla tape as they may remove the paint off your table.
Now, you’re going to braid the strips of fabric together tightly, then secure the braid at the end by adding a second safety pin to hold it until you’re ready to move on. Make sure your braid stays snug, as you want the fabric to make a solid surface on which to set your cups and mugs.
Repeat braiding the remaining strips of fabric together and securing them with the safety pins. When you’re done, you should have three braided lengths, safety-pinned on each end.
Next on this how to make braided coasters – easy scrap busting project sewing tutorial, take one of the braided sets and remove the safety pin on ONLY one end, then, starting at that loose end and working in a tight loop, coil the braid into a spiral, pinning it in place periodically to keep the coil snug. Take care to pin it on the same side, if possible, that way you can see the pins to remove them while you are sewing the coaster.
When you reach the end of the coil, place the spiral coaster into the sewing machine and, using the zig-zag stitch setting, or going back-and-forth in a tight zig-zag pattern on your own, hem together with the three loose ends of the braid, then work around the braid-coil, securing the fabric and removing the pins. You can try different stitch settings on your sewing machine, but because of how thick the braided fabric is and the flat nature of the coaster, I found that the zig-zag stitch was really the most efficient for me, personally as it will grab the two sides of the coiled braids and lock them together in one move. Just note that, while sewing a zig-zag stitch, let the sewing machine drive the fabric under the foot – only gently guide it. Otherwise, the coaster will try to curl up into a bowl shape as the stitches will not be smooth and even, but tight.
And that’s it! Now you know how to make braided coasters – easy scrap fabric busting project. If you want larger coasters, simply add more strips of braided t-shirt fabric to the end of your first one, however, I recommend trying your coaster first, before adding more, as the coaster size is strongly dependent on the tightness of your braid. Trim all loose threads, then repeat coiling and sewing each of the remaining braided strips. Then your coasters are ready for use! If desired, you can make a whole set, using up all of your scraps, or check out some other scrap-busting projects to coordinate!
If you liked learning how to make braided coasters – easy scrap busting project, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, be certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!
How To Make Braided Coasters - Easy Scrap Fabric Busting Project.
Sew your own cute coasters from scrap fabric with this simple sewing tutorial!
Tools
Instructions
- Cut 3 strips of each print of the t-shirt fabric into 1½ to 2-inch wide strips about 16 to 20-inches long.
- Using a safety pin, clip together one end of 3 of the strips of fabric, one of each print. You can tape this to the table to help you, but I was out of tape, so I used a jar, weighted with some rocks, and a thin dowel, to hold my safety pin in place.
- Braid the strips of fabric together tightly, then secure the braid at the end by adding a second safety pin to hold it until you’re ready to move on.
- Repeat braiding the remaining strips of fabric together and securing them with the safety pins.
- With one of the braided sets, remove the safety pin on one end, then, starting at the end and working in a tight loop, coil the braid into a spiral, pinning it in place periodically to keep the coil snug.
- When you reach the end of the coil, place the spiral coaster into the sewing machine and, using the zig-zag stitch setting, or going back-and-forth in a tight zig-zag pattern on your own, hem together the three loose ends of the braid, then work around the braid-coil, securing the fabric and removing the pins.
- If you want larger coasters, simply add more strips of braided t-shirt fabric to the end of your first one, however, I recommend trying your coaster first, before adding more, as the coaster size is strongly dependent on the tightness of your braid.
- Repeat coiling and sewing each of the remaining braided strips. Then your coasters are ready for use!
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