Tutorial Tuesday - Lavendar Tree's beaded coasters

I featured Ann's fabulous Etsy shop, Lavendar Tree, a while back, and even hosted a giveaway for one of her gorgeous pillows. She is one talented recycled wool artist, and she has generously given me permission to share her awesome beaded coaster tutorial with all of you! I love this tutorial for so many reasons... you don't use a sewing machine, so anyone can make them, you can reuse beads from a thrifted, broken, or unloved necklace, you can use wool scraps left over from bigger projects, you can make these while sitting on the couch watching tv, and they turn out great! They do take a little while, so if you love these coasters, and want instant gratification, you can buy them in her Etsy shop!

Enough of my babbling! On with Ann's tutorial! Please note that I am copying & pasting directly from her blog. Thank you Ann!!!!!

Wool Coaster Tutorial

As promised, here's a short tutorial for some fun and easy coasters.

WOOL COASTER TUTORIAL

Trace and cut 8 circles from felted sweaters. The ones I made are about 4 inches across. I use a variety of things for templates - I believe this circle template might have originally been the cover to a yummy cream cheese container (after it's washed first, of course!).

Line up and pin two circles to each other.

Using a thin yarn, stitch a blanket stitch around the outside of the circle sewing the two pieces together. Before inserting your needle to begin a new blanket stitch, slip a bead onto the needle and slide it down to snuggle up to the last stitch next to the wool.

TIP 1: Try to estimate how much yarn will be needed for the entire coaster before cutting. It helps prevent having to knot, end off and start a new piece of yarn.

TIP 2: You can make a small knot when beginning your stitching and hide it in between the two layers of wool by catching just a snippet of wool with your needle further into the circle's center and then your next [beginning] stitch can start along the outside edge.

Finish all four coasters in the same manner and you now have a great set of sassy coasters. Set them immediately on your coffee table or use a piece of ribbon or twine to tie them together in a neat little pile. It's a great way to present them as a gift!

I tried one myself, for my mug of coffee on my desk in the morning, and I was very pleased with the results! I might remove the mug applique, but the beading looks great!



Update: I decided I definitely wasn't happy with the mug applique, so I removed it and machine stitched in a circle pattern (like my trivets), and am much happier with the results now.