How to Sew Fabric Coasters: A Set of Four for Beginners

Learning how to sew fabric coasters teaches the sequence behind most small sewn items: stitch two pieces right sides together, leave a turning gap, turn the piece right side out, and topstitch it closed. Each coaster is a padded square, and four of them make a set.

The seams are short and straight, so the project works equally well on a sewing machine or by hand with backstitch. All measurements below use a 1/4 in (6 mm) seam allowance.

What You Need

• Quilting cotton: eight squares, each 5 in (12.5 cm)
• Cotton batting or craft felt: four squares, each 5 in (12.5 cm)
• All-purpose sewing thread
• Pins or clips, fabric scissors, a ruler and chalk or a pencil
• A hand needle or a sewing machine
• An iron, and a blunt point such as a chopstick for the corners

Pre-wash and press the cotton before cutting, following its care label, so any shrinkage happens before the coasters are sewn. One fat quarter, a pre-cut piece of about 18 x 22 in (46 x 56 cm), yields up to twelve 5 in squares, which is more than enough for the tops or the backs of a set. The tools are described in the guide to a basic kit for paper and fabric projects.

Set size	Cotton squares	Batting or felt squares	Finished coaster
One coaster	2	1	About 4 1/2 in (11.5 cm) square
Set of four	8	4	About 4 1/2 in (11.5 cm) square
Set of six	12	6	About 4 1/2 in (11.5 cm) square

The Three Layers

A finished coaster is a sandwich of three squares: the backing fabric at the bottom, the batting in the middle, and the top fabric above it. The batting gives the coaster body so it lies flat and feels substantial. Craft felt can replace it and gives a slightly thinner, firmer result.

Cut accurately. If the three squares differ in size, the edges will not line up and the seam will miss one layer. Mark each square with a ruler and cut on the line rather than cutting around a rough template.

Stack the Layers for Sewing

The sewing order is different from the finished order, because the coaster is sewn inside out and then turned. Stack the pieces like this:

1. Batting square on the table.
2. Top fabric on the batting, right side up.
3. Backing fabric on top, right side down.

The two cotton squares now face each other, right sides together, with the batting underneath. When the piece is turned through the gap, the batting ends up between them. Pin or clip all four sides, and mark a turning gap about 2 in (5 cm) long in the middle of one side with two pins set crosswise or two chalk ticks.

Sewing, Clipping and Topstitching

1. Stitch around the square, leaving the gap. Begin at one gap mark and sew around all four sides with a 1/4 in (6 mm) seam allowance, stopping at the other gap mark. At each corner, stop with the needle down in the fabric, turn the work a quarter turn and continue. Secure the stitching at the start and end with a few backward stitches, because turning puts strain on both sides of the gap.
2. Clip the corners. Cut diagonally across each corner, close to the stitching without cutting through it. This removes bulk so the corners turn into points instead of rounded lumps. If the batting is thick, trim it close to the seam line all the way around as well.
3. Turn and topstitch. Reach through the gap between the two cotton layers and pull the coaster right side out. Push each corner out gently with the blunt point. Fold the gap’s raw edges inward by the seam allowance so they line up with the sewn edge, and press the coaster flat, setting the iron according to the fabric’s care label. Then topstitch all the way around, about 1/8 in (3 mm) from the edge. This line closes the gap and keeps the layers from shifting.

Sewing by Hand

Use backstitch for the seam. It forms a continuous line with no spaces between stitches, so it holds up to turning far better than running stitch. Draw the seam line 1/4 in (6 mm) from the edge with a ruler and pencil on the wrong side of the backing, and keep stitches about 1/8 in (3 mm) long. Felt is easier than lofty batting to hand sew through.

For the last step, either topstitch with small, even running stitches in a matching or contrasting thread, or close the gap alone with ladder stitch and leave the edge plain. All of these are shown in the guide to four hand-sewing stitches for handmade gifts.

Common Problems

• Rounded, lumpy corners. The corners were not clipped closely enough, or were not pushed out. Turn the coaster back, trim nearer the stitching and try again.
• A hole at a corner. The clip cut through the stitches. Turn it inside out and resew that corner slightly inside the first line.
• The gap shows as a dip. The raw edges were folded in unevenly. Unpick the topstitching along that side, press the fold level with the seam, and stitch again.
• The batting missed the seam. It was cut smaller or slipped. Use more pins, and sew with the batting side down so the layers feed evenly.

Giving a Set of Four

Trim every thread end, press the coasters once more and stack them with the edges aligned. Tie the stack with twine crossed underneath and knotted in a bow on top. Add a tag stating the fabric and filling, for example cotton with cotton batting, and copy the care advice from the fabric’s own label rather than writing your own.

The stitch, turn and topstitch sequence used here is the basis of other projects on this site. A pocket tissue holder is a similar size and uses up leftover squares, and an envelope pillow cover applies the same clipped corners at a larger scale.