Simple Gift Ideas – Handmade Coasters

Many people who enjoy creating things use items like paper, fabric, wood, or most anything! Today’s post will feature fabrics, and falls under my blog category, ‘…and a little bit more!’

One of the reasons I enjoy blogging is ‘meeting’ new people and sharing the ideas we learn from the blogs we follow. One of my favorite blogs is Sew Many Ways. Karen is the crafty author of this fantastic blog. She has so many creative and clever ideas for so many projects, so make sure to pay her a visit!

A few years ago, Karen posted a tutorial on making coasters using a CD. Since these are made from fabric, they soak up the condensation from cold drinks. (Many of the coasters with the cork or other hard surfaces tend to leave a ‘puddle’ of water on them and they often stick to the glass.) I also love that you can easily attach the coaster to a stemmed glass or pedestal cup, or use the reverse side for a regular cup or glass. So, these fabric coasters are perfect and I thought they would be fun to make! I thought I would share a few that I have made, perhaps to inspire you to create some too!

These coasters can be made using a variety of fabrics!

Scraps of various fabrics I had in my stash were used to create a variety of fun coasters. Since I usually don’t use a pattern when I create quilts, there are usually several cuts of unused and left over fabrics that fill my stash. Several squares of denim fabric from my son’s jeans were left over from the quilt from toddler’s clothes I made him years ago. I combined these with a bit of red fabric to make fun coasters for our family room.

Coasters of my favorite NBA team – the Sacramento Kings!

I had an idea to use the extra fabric I had after I created a favorite sports team quilt for my husband to make some of these coasters. I had to purchase some sports fabrics online and ordered more than I needed for his quilt. The fabric for the Sacramento Kings basketball team was perfect to make several coasters! We share season tickets with friends, so I gave them each a set of four coasters when we hosted our game selection get-together last year.

Coasters I made for our favorite baseball teams!

The only fabric I could find for the San Francisco Giants was in a fleece, which I felt would not work well for these coasters. But, some left over baseball fabric from a quilt I made for our nephew was perfect to pair with the Seattle Mariners baseball team fabric I used in the sports quilt!

This fabric with tiny leaves and acorns is perfect for autumn.

I also created a few for my living room to use during the fall. We have a huge 300 year old oak tree in our front yard. I found this fabric in colors that matched my room, with a bonus — it has acorns! These coasters are perfect for my cup of foo-foo coffee or a nice glass of wine!

So, if you’re looking for an idea to create some fun gifts and use some of your fabrics, these coasters are perfect! They are very easy to make too! They can also be used like wine charms; they can identify your drink from others. This is a good reason to make a variety of coasters using the same theme, but perhaps in different colors.

Thanks again to Karen for the inspiration and all of her ideas!

Enjoy your Creative Days! ~ Vickie

My Kindle ‘Kozy’

Have you every had an idea and wanted (or perhaps needed) to act upon it in a hurry? That is exactly what happened to me yesterday. Let me explain….

My husband, being from Seattle, is a big SeaHawks football fan. Well, as many of you know, they are playing in this Sunday’s Super Bowl game! Since his family is in Seattle, yesterday he decided that we should make a quick trip to Seattle to watch the big game with them!

This is where my idea comes into play. (Yes, pun intended!) I have recently purchased a new Kindle, but did not buy a cover for it. Since I knew I wanted to have it at the airports, it needed a cover!

Searching through my fabric collection, I found this floral fabric left over from a quilt I had made for my late mom several years ago. The darker colors of this fabric and the colorful flowers were perfect for my Kindle cover.

Pretty Fabric for Kindle Kozy

In my excitement of creating this simple cover, pictures were not taken during the process. However, it was so simple to make. I added a bit of scrap batting inside for a bit of cushion for the front of my Kindle. I thought about adding a decorative trim, but just went with straight stitching on the top border.

There are many types of covers you can make for your Kindles that are listed on Pinterest. Many of them include great tutorials!

Now I have a cover that will keep my Kindle protected as I slip it in and out of my carry-on bag!

We are looking forward to our trip to see family and cheer for the Seattle SeaHawks!

Thanks for stopping by…now I am off to Seattle! ~ Vickie