Sewing can be such a fun and rewarding hobby.  There are so many great projects that allow you to add a handcrafted element to your home.  And if you prefer a slightly different type of motivation, there are gorgeous fabrics to chose from allowing those handcrafted touches to be custom to your style.

Yet sewing can be an intimidating and time consuming hobby, can’t it?  Between balancing all the aspects of daily life (career, family, etc) I sometimes find myself preferring a nice, simple project that I can finish in a relatively quick amount of time.  One that can be finished without utilizing my seam ripper too many times and allows enough time for all the other to do’s on my lists for a weekend.  A mini-project if you will, that can be fit in during a couple of hours on a Saturday morning.

Coasters are perfect for these little mini-projects.  They are quite simple yet fun to finish.  And you can pick out the perfect color and pattern to compliment your home.  Oh and you also get to work on keeping your top stitching straight!  They can be made with a fabric leftover from an earlier project or you could get a fat quarter, so they are also a very inexpensive project.

There are essentially three steps:

1. Measure out your squares.  I went with 5″x5″ to allow for a 1/2″ seam on each edge.    I used a fabric chalk pencil (they are available at your local craft or sewing shop for a couple dollars) to mark my lines prior to cutting.

2. Fold over the edge 1/4″ and press with your iron, making sure it is at a temp that is appropriate for the type of fabric you are using.  Fold over another 1/4″ and press.  This gives you a nice clean edge.  I clipped the corners so that the fabric wouldn’t be too thick to stitch through easily.

3. Top stitch all the way around, doing a back stitch at each corner and when you make it all the way around.  You could get creative with your stitching and add fun details.

Voila!  In a few moments of time custom coasters can be created; you get a little top stitching practice and add a little handmade touch to your home.

Next on my project list is making a shower curtain, napkins, and maybe a yoga mat bag.  Any other short-on-time sewing crafters? I am all ears for suggestions on other mini projects.