Crafting: Homemade Handmade Repurposed: Primitive Burlap Fabric Candle Jar or Coffee Cup Coasters

Friday, October 26, 2012

Primitive Burlap Fabric Candle Jar or Coffee Cup Coasters

Coasters for candle jars, beverage or drinking glasses, coffee mugs or cups sell well at a shop I consign in, Gramma Sophie's in Boonville, MO.

I don't make them for her, another lady does but given that they tend to sell I decided to try my hand at making and selling them at Glasgow Trading Post.

I wanted to create something rustic, country and very easy to sew which to me means primitive. I wanted to sew coasters women wouldn't fear would get stained and I priced them at $2.00 each making them affordable to replace.

They measure five inches.

Each square is simply a five-inch piece of burlap fabric folded in the middle and ironed flat then placed on burlap backing and "woven" if you will to create a checked effect.

For instance, I laid two off white folded pieces - rough edge out - so the folded edges meet in the middle and even with the back's edges.

Then I laid a brown piece perpendicular to the off white - folded edge in the center and even with the back plus the two ends of white burlap - lifted an end of a white and laid an end of the brown beneath it, then did the same to the other side.

Again: rough edges facing out, lay down two pieces of fabric so the edges are even with the back and folded edges meet in the middle.

Lift one end of one of the pieces and slide another color beneath it, rough edge out and perpendicular. Line all the edges so they're even.

Turn and repeat so that you have created a checker board.

I pinned then sewed the edges.

You can even make triangles using the same method. Clip the corners and turn right side out.

You can make them virtually any size. The purple and off white (right) are four inch while the prints (bottom left) are six.